ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar have urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Khan Afridi to schedule hearings for the petitions challenging the recently passed 26th Constitutional Amendment before a full court this week.
In a letter signed by the two judges, who are part of the committee established under the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act (2023) for case management and bench formation, they stated that the committee had decided on November 4 to hear the “constitutional petitions” regarding the judicial reforms.
The letter explained that the committee’s decision made on October 31 was communicated the same day, but no cause list was issued for the hearing on that date.
The justices emphasized that the committee’s decision remains valid under Section 2(3) of the Practice and Procedure Act and needs to be implemented.
“We therefore find it necessary to request the fixation of the aforementioned constitutional petitions before the full court during the current week, and for the cause list to be issued immediately,” the letter stated.
Additionally, the letter directed the Supreme Court registrar to publish the committee’s decision from October 31, 2024, on the official website of the court.
It is important to note that multiple petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the controversial constitutional amendments recently introduced by the government, which have sparked significant debate despite their swift passage in Parliament following numerous delays.
These petitions have been submitted by Jamat-e-Islami (JI) and various legal associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), arguing that the 26th Constitutional Amendment violates fundamental human rights and undermines judicial independence.
Furthermore, the SCBA has requested the formation of a full court bench to hear the petitions challenging the amendment.
