SC announces special arrangements for 26th constitutional amendment case hearing

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Friday announced special arrangements for the hearing of the 26th Constitutional Amendment case, scheduled to take place on January 27, ARY News reported.

According to a statement issued by the SC, the hearing will be held in Court Room No. 2, with enhanced security measures in place to ensure the safety of all attendees.

To manage the limited capacity of the court room, special passes will be issued to authorised individuals, including lawyers and journalists. “Only those with valid passes will be allowed to enter the court room,” the SC statement read.

For those without passes, alternative arrangements have been made, including audio facilities in Court Rooms No. 6 and 7. The use of mobile phones within the court room will be strictly prohibited.

It is to be noted here that the SC’s Constitutional Bench is set to hear a set of pleas challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment and demanding the top court to strike down the same. The Constitutional Bench headed by Justice Aminud din Khan and comprising Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi Justice Musarrat Hilali will hear the petitions.

The petitioners also contested the validity of the constitutional benches, claiming that the SC ought to rule that all revisions that required the votes of members whose election issues were still pending in order to reach the required number under Article 239 were unconstitutional.

They asked the top court to declare the whole 26th Amendment unconstitutional due to ‘improper’ procedure.

The federation, government of Sindh, Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, the Election Commission of Pakistan and others have been made respondents in the petitions.

26th constitutional amendment

It is to be noted here that the Parliament passed the 26th Amendment on midnight of 20 and 21 under which the term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been fixed at three years.

A 12-member parliamentary committee will select the new Chief Justice from a panel of the three most senior judges.

The committee, comprising eight members from the National Assembly and four from the Senate, will propose the name to the Prime Minister, who will then forward it to the President for final approval.

Besides, a judicial commission, led by the Chief Justice and including three senior judges, two members each from the National Assembly and Senate, the Federal Minister for Law and Justice, the Attorney General, and a nominee of the Pakistan Bar Council, having not less than fifteen years of practice in the Supreme Court, will be responsible for appointment of the judges of the Supreme Court.