City Reporter
While terming the recent protest of legal fraternity against junior judges’ elevation to top court “uncalled for,” Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed said that the Supreme Court and superior judiciary are open to talks with lawyers to chalk out an effective and objective criteria for the elevation of judges.
The chief justice remarked this while addressing the ceremony of the new judicial year on Monday.
He further said that he is always ready to meet the representatives of the lawyer community for an amicable solution to their problems. He pointed out that this time no one approached him over the issue of judges’ appointment.
Expressing his astonishment, he asked what the motive was behind the lawyers’ agitation in the top court premises on September 09.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed informed that as many as 20,910 fresh cases were instituted whereas 12,968 matters were decided during the last judicial year.
The CJP said that according to overall institution and disposal of cases in the top court during the last judicial year, a total of 45,644 cases are pending, as many as 20,910 fresh cases were instituted, while about 12,968 cases were decided, including 6,797 civil petitions, 1,916 civil appeals, 459 civil review petitions, 2,625 criminal petitions, 681 criminal appeals, 37 criminal review petitions and 100 criminal original petitions.
A ceremony of the new judicial year during every September in the Supreme Court provides an opportunity to take stock of performance of the previous year with a view to formulate future policies on how to advance the cause of justice and protect the rights of people.
It is pertinent to mention that during his tenure in 2009, former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had established a separate human rights cell at the Supreme Court that received thousands of human rights complaints from poor victims across the country.
The incumbent Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said, “The Human Rights Cell, established in the Supreme Court, has continued to function.
However, very few new cases were registered and an effort was made to regularly hear the pending cases and pass appropriate orders to protect the fundamental rights of the people.”
The CJP informed that during the year as many as 171 model criminal trial courts has decided 14,190 murder and narcotic cases, 149 model trial magistrate courts decided 20,032 cases and 117 model civil appellate courts decided 21,472 cases. “In this way, total modal courts decided a huge number of 55,694 cases”, the CJP added.
