Three senior judges of the Supreme Court, including Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Ayesha Malik, and Justice Aqeel Abbasi, have written a letter to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi expressing concerns over the failure to schedule the crucial “bench powers” case. The judges labeled the issue as a violation of judicial orders and contempt of court.
The letter, also addressed to Justice Aminuddin Khan, highlighted the absence of the case from the docket on January 20, despite earlier directives to hear it.
The judges noted that Justice Aqeel Abbasi, who was added to the bench on January 16, had previously heard the case at the Sindh High Court.
In the letter, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah criticized the delay, stating that the case should have been scheduled in accordance with prior judicial instructions. He asserted that the failure to list the case for hearing amounted to disobedience of the law and a disregard for the judicial order.
The letter also referenced a meeting of the Practice and Procedure Committee on January 17. Justice Mansoor clarified that while his position on the matter was on record, he had declined to attend the meeting, believing that the committee had the authority to form the previous bench and schedule the hearing without his participation.
Justice Mansoor stressed that the failure to schedule the case violated judicial norms and compromised the integrity of the legal process.
