The legacy of CJ’s first year in office is a complicated one.
The Supreme Court rules on 1,264 cases in just two weeks, yet the debate over the appointment of judges continues.
ISLAMABAD: From January 15 to January 31, the Supreme Court heard and concluded 1,164 cases, instituting an additional 879 cases.
After serving in the position for a year, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial was able to lower the number of cases still outstanding in the Supreme Court from 53,624 to 51,929.
Nevertheless, unlike his predecessors, CJ Bandial’s one-year term saw no increase in the number of cases pending, and that, too, despite the Supreme Court not having its full complement of justices available at all times because it is still missing two.
Nine benches were established by the chief justice over the past week to consider matters of various types.
2,084 cases have been scheduled before various courts since January 16; of those, 253 petitions have been granted and 635 cases have had their cases dismissed. In the past 15 days, 110 cases received permission to appeal, while the Supreme Court only decided 22 cases.
Additionally, his one-year reign was marked by controversy over the selection of judges for the supreme court. Regrettably, judicial politics are a factor in the selection of judges for the supreme court.
Members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), senior justices of the supreme court, disagree on the promotion of high court judges to the top court. The superior bars are also against the promotion of junior judges, stating that they are in favour of the seniority rule in the appointment of judges.
It should be mentioned that the federal law minister and the Pakistani attorney general backed the top justice’s picks for the Supreme Court.
Following the promotion of junior justices to the Supreme Court, the situation at the Sindh High Court is currently growing worse. Senior SHC judges find this scenario frustrating.
To enhance transparency in the selection process, it is necessary to alter the JCP regulations in light of this. It has been noted that the chief justices don’t call the commission meeting until they know the majority of members will support their nominees.
In the current situation, the chief justice needs the backing of the government representatives to approve the promotion of younger judges to the highest court.
Many senior attorneys are perplexed by this and question whether the selection of supreme court judges is motivated by principle or ego.
