Cabinet approves bill to amend top court's suo motu powers.

ISLAMABAD -- In a bid to limit the discretionary powers to take suo motu notice by Pakistan's top judge, the federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, sources told media.

The development came a day after two Supreme Court judges - Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail - raised questions over the powers of the CJP, saying the apex court 'cannot be dependent on the solitary decision of one man, the Chief Justice'.

'This court cannot be dependent on the solitary decision of one man, the Chief Justice, but must be regulated through a rule-based system approved by all judges of the court under Article 191 of the Constitution," Justice Shah and Justice Mandokhail wrote in a 27-page document for the apex court's March 1 verdict in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suo motu.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also sought parliamentary action in this regard, terming the move "a ray of hope".

"The voices for change stemming from the judiciary itself is certainly a ray of hope for the country," he said.

The amendments were discussed during the federal cabinet meeting today after which the sources told Geo News that after the approval of the bill a committee comprising three senior judges will take the decision regarding the sou motu notice.

Following the approval, the bill will now be tabled in the National Assembly for clearance from the lower house of parliament.

Moreover, the amended bill also includes a clause regarding the rights of challenging the notice which could be filed within 30 days and will then be fixed for a hearing in two weeks' time.

They further added that the house will send the proposed bill to the NA Standing Committee on Law and Justice for further approval - which will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) morning under the chair of Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk.

It was also learnt that the standing committee will be tasked to pass the bill tomorrow after which the National Assembly will give its final nod.

After the clearance from all platforms, the bill will be tabled in Senate on Thursday for final approval.

According to the bill - a copy of which was seen by TheNews.com - every clause, appeal or matter...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT