CJP to look into govt steps on corona

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed took his first suo motu notice on Friday over the "inadequate facilities" in the country to combat coronavirus.

The chief justice has sent notices to the attorney general, health secretary, interior secretary, chief commissioner Islamabad, provincial chief secretaries and advocates general to respond in the matter.

Justice Gulzar Ahmed has asked the three respondents to provide details of what measures the government has taken so far to contain the spread of the virus and what facilities have been provided to hospitals.

A five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed will hear the case on Monday, April 13.

The court on April 07 had set aside the orders passed by the Islamabad High Court IHC) and Sindhi High Court (SHC) granting bail to the accused persons and held that the high court could not exercise suo motu jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution.

The court had announced its verdict in the petition of one Raja Nadeem who had filed it in the Supreme Court under Article 185(3) read with 184(3) of the Constitution seeking leave to appeal against the judgment of the IHC.

The IHC had granted bail to 408 prisoners imprisoned at Adiala Jail under minor offences in view of coronavirus outbreak.

The court while announcing the verdict had converted the petition into Article 184(3) of the Constitution (suo motu) and had ruled that larger issue of combating the pandemic shall remain pending.

On Monday, April 13, a five-member bench of the apex court headed by the chief justice will resume hearing in the case.