Pleas against law curtailing CJP powers: PBC to seek hearing by full court today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the apex body of the legal fraternity, is set to raise objections today (Tuesday) on the bench, resuming hearing in the petitions challenging the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 that aimed at curtailing the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP.

An eight-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsen, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Mrs Ayesha A Malik, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed will resume hearing on the matter today at 12:30pm.

“We will strongly resist the bench from hearing the matter and will stressconstitution of a full court for hearing this constitutional matter,” PBC Vice Chairman Haroon ur Rashid told ‘The News’ on Monday.

He said that as per their earlier demand -- they made the other day in Quetta Convention -- they will also ask for vacate the stay order earlier given by the said bench against the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, a legislation curtailing the CJP powers of suo motu jurisdiction as well as constitution of benches.

“If the court failed to withdraw its earlier order, suspending the operation of Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, we will start countrywide protest campaign,” he added.

He further said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Bar Council has also convened a lawyers convention on May 13 where representatives of the Bar councils from across the country wouls participate.

It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Justice Bandial had fixed the hearing for today (Tuesday) and had issued notices to the respondents besides issuing notices to the Attorney General for Pakistan, Supreme Court Bar Association through its president and the PBC through its vice chairman.

Similarly, the court had also issued notices to the political parties with the direction that if they desired may appear through their duly instructed counsels. Advocate Muhammad Shafay Munir, Raja Aamir Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain had challenged the constitutionality of federal legislation, being the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023.