SC larger bench to hear Presidential Reference on defection clause

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has formed a five-member larger bench on a presidential reference seeking its interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan submitted the reference in the supreme court on Monday. The presidential reference seeks the court’s opinion on Article 63-A, the defection clause of the constitution.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, will hear the reference seeking the court’s opinion on the disqualification of parliamentarians over defection on March 24, sources said.

The court on Monday announced formation of a five member bench to hear the reference, but names of other judges were not announced.

The sources today disclosed that other judges of the bench will be Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel.

A Supreme Court bench of two judges, comprising of Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Munib Akhtar, took up the reference along with a petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) seeking the apex court’s order to prevent any lawlessness ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion in the assembly.