KP, Punjab polls: SHCBA concerned over exclusion of senior judges from full bench

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) has expressed serious concern over the exclusion of senior judges from the full bench formed by the Supreme Court in the suo motu proceedings on the by-elections in KP and Punjab.

Sindh High Court Bar Association President Saleem Mangrio and Secretary Amir Nawaz Warraich said in their statements that the SHCBA believed that power of fixation of roster and cases should not rest exclusively with the chief justice.

They said that propriety demands from the judges to voluntarily recuse themselves from the bench as clear lack of confidence has been shown upon them by different parties in the proceedings.

The SHCBA called upon the chief justice of Pakistan to take concrete steps to redress the adverse impressions created by the recent practice of

constitution of benches of his choice, especially in political cases to ensure restoration of public confidence in the judiciary as a whole.

The bar demanded a full court hearing of the Supreme Court on the by-elections of provincial assemblies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to give an impartial image amongst the legal fraternity and general public.