ISLAMABAD: An eight-member bench of the Supreme Court has started hearing the petitions challenging the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023
The top court is hearing amidst a boycott of court proceedings by the country’s top lawyers body and criticism of the coalition parties.
The bench is headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprises Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed.
Earlier this week, the bill — clipping CJP powers — was passed by a joint sitting of parliament after President Dr Arif Alvi returned it.
Subsequently, three separate petitions were filed by Raja Amer Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain and Mohammad Shafay Munir, among others, under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, asking the top court to set aside the bill.
The federal government got the bill passed in a joint session of parliament on Monday after President Arif Alvi returned it last week without signing it.
At the outset of the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer Imtiaz Siddiqui started his arguments by saying that this case is very important in the prevailing situation.
The counsel said that differences widened between the parties after the Qasim Suri case and the political crisis increased after the National Assembly was restored.
“The federal government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) are not willing to hold elections which is why the court had to take suo motu notice,” said Siddiqui.
The lawyer said that the problems were created following the court’s directives to implement the Constitution after which the judges and judiciary were criticised.
“The government’s ministers and members of parliament are responsible for this,” said the lawyer, adding that the proposed legislation interfered with the independence of the judiciary.
He said that the president’s objections to the bill were not examined. Siddiqui said that the bill will become law after the approval of a joint session of the parliament in 10 days.
He said that the Supreme Court makes its own rules under Article 191.
.
