Abdul Hadi Mayar Islamabad
The government plans to raise the number of judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan by amending the Supreme Court (number of judges) Act 1997, a source in Ministry of parliamentary affairs confided on Tuesday.
“The government has already worked out a draft amendment bill, which contemplates change in Section 2 of the act,” it said.
The Supreme Court (number of judges) Act 1997 has determined that the number of judges in the apex court will be 16, plus the Chief Justice.
The new amendment contemplates to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court from the present 17 to 23 i.e. the chief justice plus 22 judges.
The objective of the proposed amendment has been stated as ‘expediting the process of disposal of cases and ensuring their timely decision.’ The opposition Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf has expressed its opposition to the proposed legislation calling it an attempt to manipulate dispensation of justice in the higher judiciary.
