From September 25-to 30, the Supreme Court in ISLAMABAD heard and decided 204 new cases and dismissed 257 others (not including CMAs).
The Supreme Court of Pakistan said in a statement on Saturday that CJP Qazi Faez Isa and the other judges of the top court were still dedicated to speeding up the process of disposing of cases and reducing the backlog.
The court system’s continued dedication to aiding plaintiffs and defendants was also reaffirmed.
Several issues, including the need to hold general elections within 90 days, the trial of civilians in military courts under the Army Act, and the concerns of political parties about civil liberties, will be closely watched as Justice Qazi Faez Isa takes over as chief justice of Pakistan (CJP).
On September 17, he took the oath of office as the 29th chief justice.
Hearing the appeals of the Supreme Court’s February 6, 2019 decision in the Faizabad sit-in case, written by Chief Justice Isa, is a top priority.
The judgement had ordered the ISI, IB, MI, and the army’s propaganda wing, the ISPR, to stay within their constitutional bounds.During a 20-day sit-in that the TLP held in the November 2017 at the junction of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the judgement focused on the role of intelligence services.
The TLP started the demonstration because, according to them, the 2017 Elections Bill altered the parliamentarians’ oath to remove references to the finality of prophethood. Protesters wanted then-Minister of Law Zahid Hamid to resign.
Recent applications to withdraw appeals have been lodged by the Ministry of Defence, the PTI, and the ECP. The IB and the Pemra had previously submitted petitions that were very similar.
The chief judge wondered aloud whether or not there had been an instruction to submit the review petitions before they were withdrawn.
As he took the oath of office, CJP Isa accomplished more than his predecessor, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, did throughout his whole term.
On day one of his or her tenure, the chief judge called a court session and appointed all of the judges.
Like the petitions challenging the Supreme Court (Practise and Procedure) Act, 2023, these cases will be heard by a full court. CJP Isa also made headlines by proposing for the first time that a court’s proceedings be broadcast online. Perhaps CJP Isa is the first leader of an institution to volunteer to give up some of his discretionary authority.
CJP Isa wanted to speak with the two most senior SC judges when forming benches, thus that’s how it worked out.
Chief Justice Isa openly questioned the “misuse” of public interest jurisdiction under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution during the full court session.
The most intriguing aspect of this case is that Justice Isa, while serving as chief justice, cast doubt on the ruling made by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in the Reko Diq case, which resulted in a $6.5 billion fine for the government.
The chief justice and senior puisne judge Justice Sardar Tariq Masood met with members of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to address the slow pace at which the highest court in the land disposes of cases.
CJP Isa has issued a monthly proposed cause list after conferring with both lawyer organisations. Chief Justice Isa has reportedly chosen to adopt Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar’s case management recommendations.
The Supreme Court’s chief judge met with the court’s top lawyers last week to hear their recommendations for streamlining the court’s operations.
The first female registrar of the Supreme Court was appointed by CJP Isa. The bar also thanks him for promptly confirming the receipt and status of applications filed with the highest court.
