Senate bill seeks increase in SC judges number

ISLAMABAD: A bill seeking an increase in the number of judges at the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan has been tabled in the Senate amid opposition’s protest, ARY News reported.

The bill titled ‘Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Act 2024’ was tabled by Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir, an independent member of the upper house from Balochistan

“It Is necessary to enhance number of judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan from seventeen (17) to twenty-one (21) to address the rising number of pending cases. The Supreme Court has four jurisdictions original, appellate, advisory, and review being diverse and demanding, contributing to the continuous accumulation of cases,” the statement of objects and reasons of the bill read.

It added that with economic growth and social changes, the complexity and variety of cases have increased. “This backlog, combined with the complexities of integrating the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, necessitates more judicial resources.”

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir said that there are a heap of constitutional cases before the the Supreme Court. “Larger benches are formed on constitutional cases due to which the cases pertaining to billions of rupees taxes are pending,” he added.

Senator Ali Zafar of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposed the bill, saying that the legislation is aimed at meddling in the legal system.

He said that the introduction of the bills is an attempt to control the court. “On behalf of PTI, let me state unequivocally that Senator Abdul Qadir is being utilised in this way. We are willing to increase two judges to the current roster, but no more,” the PTI’s Senator added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Justices Sardar Tariq Masood and Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel took oath as ad hoc judges of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on July 29

The oath was administered by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Qazi Faez Isa, where Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, law officers, lawyers, and court staff attended the oathtaking ceremony.