In a joint declaration, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Wednesday demanded that the constitutional provisions related to the discretion of the chief justice of the Supreme Court be amended. This joint declaration of theirs came after a meeting in which the representatives of the SCBA and the PBC discussed matters related to the rules regarding selection of judges for benches to hear cases.
The representatives of the bar councils showed reservations over the hastily convened judicial commission meeting, and they also expressed concern over the yesterday’s decision of not forming a full court. “The power of the Chief Justice to fix cases and constitute benches should be regulated. The bench formation should be the prerogative of the five senior-most judges,” the bar councils said in the joint declaration.
“The Supreme Court’s rules should be amended for the formation of a different bench to hear the review petition. The bar councils do not have any personal interest, nor are they affiliated with any party,” they stated. “The bar councils strongly condemn the appointment of junior judges in the Supreme Court.
The constitutional provisions for the appointment of judges should be amended,” they demanded in their joint declaration. “The government should immediately withdraw curative review against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
