ISLAMABAD: The full court on Wednesday reserved its judgement on a set of petitions challenging the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act 2023.
Under the new law, the Supreme Court would form a committee of three senior most judges including the chief justice to form benches for hearing of constitutional and sui motu cases.
The hearing concluded after Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan presented the stance of the government on the petitions.
The petitoners were of the view that the new law enacted by the previous PDM government was a bid to curtail the power of the chief justice and encroach on the jurisdiction of the apex court.
Headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the full court consisted of Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Musarrat Hilali.
During the hearing which continued for four days starting last month when Justice Qazi Faez Isa took oath as the chief justice, most if the justices remarked that parliament had enacted the law with good intentions.
However, the lawyers of the petitioners said it was in conflict with many articles of the constitution that guaranteed independence of the judiciary.
The chief justice wondered how it could hamper the court from exercising its independence. He also observed yesterday that parliament had enacted the law with good intentions.
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