Amidst polarisation: Controversy clouds CJP's career.

ISLAMABAD -- On account of polarisation within the Supreme Court, the whole career of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has become clouded by controversy.

CJP Bandial is known as a soft-spoken judge and no one has raised a question about his financial integrity throughout his career. He was widely respected in the bar on account of his professional conduct.

"We (bar members) are sad that Justice Bandial's career is becoming controversial on account of polarisation within the SC," said Advocate Ahsan Bhoon, who is a leading member of the Independent Lawyers Group.

Another bar member said no one can complain that Justice Bandial misbehaved with any lawyer during the court proceedings.

One section of lawyers believes that Justice Qazi Faez Isa has actually affected the Supreme Court's workings. Subsequently, the SC judges are divided into two factions on ideological lines.

During former CJP Mian Saqib Nisar's tenure, Justice Bandial had also remained part of several benches in politically sensitive cases. Despite his inclusion in those benches, he had not become controversial.

Factionalism within SC increased during former CJP Gulzar Ahmed's term. Division among senior SC judges started with the elevation of junior high courts' judges to the apex court.

Justice Bandial had his own philosophy for not following the seniority principle in the elevation of judges. His views were strongly opposed by senior SC judges as well as superior bars including the Hamid Khan Group.

Some unpleasant events occurred during Justice Isa's case hearing, which further affected the bilateral relationship among SC judges.

Justice Bandial took oath as the CJP on February 1 last year.

Throughout his term, he did not include two senior judges-Justice Isa and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood-in larger or special benches hearing politically sensitive cases.

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These benches comprised his 'like-minded judges'. Despite the accusation of favouritism in the composition of benches, Justice Bandial did not bother to address this issue.

It is witnessed that the present government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) requested the constitution of a full court several times to hear cases related to polls in...