Hearing on petitions against amendment of Supreme Court Rules has been adjourned indefinitely, Chief Justice of Pakistan says will announce new date in a written judgment. Legal experts say bill passed by joint session of Parliament on April 21 will become law, that is, the Chief Justice who will form bench will form it in consultation with two senior judges of Supreme Court, but Supreme Court has started hearing. Statute is barred, since the bench was formed before the law was made, so it cannot be broken unless a judge leaves the bench himself.
According to the details, an 8-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan heard various petitions against the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill 2023.
The Supreme Court issued notices to all the parties. Notices have also been issued to Attorney General, Principal Secretaries of Prime Minister and President, Ministry of Law, Supreme Court Bar Association and political parties.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Omar Atta Bandial remarked that this is an important case in which the independence of the judiciary is at stake.
Four petitions against the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill, 2023 were filed in the Supreme Court which was heard.
Advocate Imtiaz Siddiqui argued on behalf of one of the petitioners. He said that the hearing of this case by the Supreme Court of Pakistan is not an interference in the powers of the Parliament. Parliament has completed its work, the President has sent the bill back to Parliament for reconsideration, after which Parliament has not considered the bill and it is being hastily enacted.
Imtiaz Siddiqui argued that the constitution has very clear orders regarding the judiciary, the legislature and the executives, each institution has its own limits and each institution has to stay within its own limits, no other institution can interfere in the internal matters of the institutions. ,
Advocate Imtiaz Siddiqui said that the Parliament is supreme but whatever legislation they pass will be within the framework of the Constitution. Any legislation inconsistent with the Constitution cannot be accepted.
After the arguments of Advocate Imtiaz Siddiqui, the Chief Justice ordered to adjourn the hearing and said that the hearing will be repeated in the presence of all the bench judges. And soon the case will be scheduled for hearing again.