ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will resume hearing petitions challenging the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 next week, which aims to reduce the automatic jurisdiction of the Chief Justice of Pakistan as well as the constitution of benches.
The eight-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial, consisted of Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar. Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed will hear again on May 2 (Tuesday) at 12:30 PM.
The court issued notices to the respondents and the Attorney General for Pakistan, the Supreme Court Bar Association through its President and the Pakistan Bar Council through its Vice Chairman.
Similarly, the court ordered Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF), Jamaat-e-Islami. Notices have also been issued. -Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQMP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PMLQ) with this directive. That if they wish, attend through proper instructions. The lawyers adjourned the hearing till May 2.
Advocate Muhammad Shafi Munir, Raja Aamir Khan and Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain had challenged the constitutionality of the federal legislation on the ground that it was the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023.
Earlier on April 13, a larger bench stayed the proceedings on the bill (now the Act) till further orders.
