No need for Supreme Court to intervene if officials efficient: CJP

LAHORE: Stressing that the Supreme Court is an institution of last resort, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa on Saturday said there is hardly any need for the top court to jump in at the premature stage.

Addressing an event in Lahore, he said whenever something occurred and caught the people’s attention, there was an outcry, demanding that he take a suo motu notice of it.

“I realise that because of the activism of some of my respectable seniors, government departments are already on their toes,” the top judge said, adding whenever any incident took place, officials concerned reached the spot in no time and responded to the situation the way the court expected them.

The purpose behind taking notice was to nudge officials into action, the chief justice maintained, adding work is to be done by officials.

“If officials are efficient, doing their job and attending to an emerging situation, there is no need for the court to jump in,” Justice Khosa emphasised.

He added if the top court takes notice, all officials run to Islamabad to appear before it rather than the place of occurrence to attend to the situation, which is inappropriate.

“There is hardly need for the Supreme Court to jump in as it is the institution of the last resort,” he said, questioning how it can afford to be an institution of the first resort.

“If we interfere at an initial stage, the whole process of justice will be retarded and reversed and never conducive to the interest of justice,” the chief justice said.

He said his first priority is to ensure that courts work as courts and anybody appearing before a court, particularly members of a disciplined force, they are afforded due dignity however the nature or circumstances of their case.

Everybody is entitled to dignity irrespective of his calling or job, the chief justice said.