Justices Isa, Afridi demand transparency from registrar’s office
The crisis in the Supreme Court deepened on Tuesday as Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi refused to hear cases on account of the sudden change in the composition of their benches.
Justice Afridi was heading the bench Tuesday but Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial changed the roster and included Justice Afridi in Justice Isa’s bench.
According to Tuesday’s roster, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, who is junior to Justice Afridi, is now heading the bench along with Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, who was sitting with Justice Isa on Monday.
Justice Isa and Justice Afridi said in their written order that if benches are changed arbitrarily and without reason, it would create doubts in the minds of litigants and the public.
The two SC judges demanded transparency from the registrar, questioning the procedure for appointing cases in the apex court.