CJP Khosa says people expect suo moto notice on every attention-grabbing issue

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khan Khosa said on Saturday that  people expect the top judiciary to take suo moto notice of anything that gains spotlight.

The chief justice was addressing a ceremony after chairing a meeting on police reforms. Justice Khosa said that if the rulers did their jobs right then the courts won't need to interfere.

"Whenever a matter captures the public's attention, people expect a suo moto notice," he said. "If the government institution is active beforehand then the court does not need to take a notice on it," he added.

He said that the Supreme Court was the last place where people should seek justice.

The chief justice said that he didn't think it was appropriate for senior officials to present themselves time and again in front of the courts.

"One should maintain the dignity of a police official or any other person who appears before the court," he said.

The chief justice said that if the Supreme Court starts interfering in matters of the government from day one then it creates difficulties.

He said that for justice to be dispensed to the masses speedily it was necessary for police to conduct their investigations efficiently.

"My first task as chief justice was to protect the dignity of those who seek justice from the courts," he said.

He praised the courts for wrapping up cases and providing people with speedy justice in a short span of time.

"Model courts wrapped up 24,000 cases relating to drugs," he said. "Magistrate cases announced decisions in 27,469 cases."

Justice Khosa said that concrete steps had been taken to counter false testimony. He said that the investigating officer will also be treated like a suspect in a case of false testimony.

"From now on, the investigation officer will be held responsible for his investigation," he said. "It's not possible that the investigation officer does not know the truth."

He urged judges and the courts to do their part as well in ensuring that false testimonies are identified. Justice Khosa said that it was not the job of the investigation officer to prove everything that the complainant says.