Justice Isa skips CJP Bandial hosted Eid dinner

ISLAMABAD: Differences between Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and his senior-most judge seem to be not ending as Justice Qazi Faez Isa "skipped" the dinner at his boss's house, sources told Geo News on Tuesday.

According to the sources, apart from Justice Isa, all 14 judges of the top court attended the dinner.

Officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared that every top judge has hosted dinners after every Eid but CJP Bandial was hoping to use this one to mend differences that have grown recently in the Supreme Court.

There has been a visible division in the Supreme Court during CJP Bandial’s tenure.

The incumbent chief justice has been under criticism for sidelining senior judges of the apex court and “fixing benches”.

The sidelining of Justice Isa from important cases has been noticed by many observers and analysts who are of the view that it has divided the top court.

Furthermore, the rift between the two judges also came out in the open when a judgement of Justice Isa about suo motu was disregarded by the CJP via a circular.

Justice Isa, in one of his verdicts, called for the clipping of the CJP’s powers on suo motu which was dismissed by CJP Bandial via a circular.

However, a six-member bench was formed that overruled the order passed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa.