Coalition parties reject 8-member bench set to hear pleas against SC bill

A joint statement was issued on Thursday morning, following a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, hours after Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial formed an eight-member larger bench to hear the petitions against the bill.

Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan and others attended the meeting.

The meeting decided to fully defend the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, and rejected the move to conduct proceedings on the bill by a controversial bench before its implementation.

Such a move has never been seen before in the history of Pakistan and the judiciary, the coalition parties’ declaration stated. This is tantamount to jeopardizing the credibility of the highest court and rendering the process of justice meaningless, the statement added.

The bench is proof of the divisions within the Supreme Court, which validates the government’s position again, the statement said.

It further said the honorable judges have themselves objected to the ‘one-man show’, the biased and dictatorial behavior and formation of special benches.

The statement also regretted exclusion of judges from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the bench. The move to hear the petitions is an attack on parliament and its authority, and should be strongly resisted, it added.

The intention is clear by creating a controversial bench in haste and fixing the particular petitions before it. Expressing the verdict in advance is regrettable and akin to murder of justice, the statement added.

The Supreme Court bill was approved by parliament on the demands of the lawyers’ community, the statement said.

As per the Constitution, there can be no compromise on the parliament’s authority. Taking away the authority of parliament and interfering in its scope will be strongly resisted, the statement stressed.

Following the deliberations, the federal government decided to strongly defend the bill.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial formed an eight-member larger bench to hear the petitions against Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill, today.

The bench headed by CJP Bandial comprises Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Mazahar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed.

The bill has also been challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) by lawyer Saeed Aftab in a separate plea, as well as Lahore High Court.

Article source: https://www.suchtv.pk/pakistan/general/item/119318-coalition-parties-reject-8-member-bench-set-to-hear-pleas-against-sc-bill.html