Public interest cases take a back seat.

ISLAMABAD -- The Supreme Court will not hear high-profile public interest cases until its full court decides on the petitions challenging the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023. This law aims to streamline the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to take suo motu notice and form benches.

The full court will resume hearing the constitutional petitions against the SC (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 next Monday, and it is expected that the proceedings will conclude on the same day.

Sources indicate that in its October 3 order, the full court noted that cases falling under the purview of Article 184 (3) of the Constitution are not being listed due to the pendency of this matter.

Under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution, the Supreme Court of Pakistan can take action on its own or upon the application of any person if it believes that any of the rights mentioned in the Fundamental Rights Chapter of the Constitution have been violated and such rights involve public interest.

CJP Qazi Faez Isa and SC's Senior Puisne Judge Sardar Tariq Masood had an informal meeting with members of the Press Association of the Supreme Court to discuss improvements in court reporting on Thursday. During this interaction, Justice Isa revealed that public interest cases will not be listed until a decision is reached on the SC (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023.

Currently, two significant public interest cases are pending-one regarding the holding of general elections within 90 days and the other concerning the trial of May 9 rioters in military courts.

In response to a question about appointing judges to two vacant positions in the Supreme Court, Justice Isa mentioned that he has already written a letter to all members of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) seeking suggestions for improving the commission's functioning.

The JCP is a constitutional forum with a crucial role in the appointment of judges to the superior...