ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench on Friday removed the objections on the petition filed by the founding PTI leader challenging the 2023 amendments to the Official Secrets Act and Army Act.
A SC five-member constitutional bench headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan was hearing the case and directed the Registrar’s Office to officially assign a case number to the constitutional petition.
During the proceedings, the court questioned why the petitioner had not first approached the high court regarding the amendments.
Advocate Shoaib Shaheen argued that the amendments to the Official Secrets Act and Army Act were infringing on people’s rights.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar remarked that the Supreme Court has previously entertained direct petitions under Article 184(3) at its discretion, hearing some cases while directing others to approach the High Court first.
The judge said that if the Supreme Court continues to hear such petitions directly, it would render Article 199 ineffective.
Advocate Shoaib Shaheen contended that the court, not the registrar, has the authority to decide the maintainability of the petition.
The constitutional bench adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period and sought seeking arguments on the maintainability of the petition.
