ISLAMABAD:
On Monday, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Justice Qazi Faez Isa said that the Supreme Court (SC) will no longer tolerate the common practice of asking for a postponement of a hearing.
A land dispute case was being heard by a three-judge panel presided over by the Chief Justice when one of the solicitors asked for a continuance.
The Chief Justice then observed that the attorney should put out of his mind the possibility of requesting an adjournment.
Considering the backlog of cases at SC, the CJP warned, “This is also a message for everyone, the tendency of seeking adjournments will no longer fly. There are a large number of cases waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court.
CJP Isa recommended issuing notices during one hearing and requesting arguments during the following hearing.
He further speculated that other courts would follow suit in seeking adjournments in order to present evidence and set a new hearing date. On the other hand, “[but] if a case is being brought before the Supreme Court, all documents should be complete.”
The judge did not buy the lawyer’s argument.
The Hon. Justice Isa was sworn in as the 29th Chief Justice of the Philippines on September 16. As part of his efforts to reduce the backlog of cases at the Supreme Court, he formed a committee of judges to oversee case management last week.
The committee’s other responsibility is to rule on judicial misconduct accusations that have been filed with the SJC.
After being suggested by Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, this case management policy waited for approval in the chamber of former CJP Umar Ata Bandial for more than a year.
Meanwhile, officials of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) met with CJP Isa and senior puisne judge Justice Sardar Tariq Masood to discuss the disposal rate of the supreme court.
CJP Isa has issued a monthly proposed cause list after conferring with both lawyer organisations.
There are as many as 56,544 cases waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court, according to a report provided by the Court on August 31, 2023.
There are now 30 578 civil petitions, 9 875 civil appeals, 9 384 military requests, 1,653 review requests, 25 suo motu cases, and 1 reference pending before the court.
