Pakistan

Justice Isa refuses to hear cases after SC registrar suddenly reshuffles benches

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

We want transparency, says Justice Isa.
SC summons registrar with all the records.
Registrar says hearings scheduled after CJP’s approval.

Casting doubts on the transparency of the case-assigning procedure, Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa Tuesday refused to hear the scheduled cases after the registrar shook up the benches without keeping the concerned judges and other stakeholders in the loop.

The registrar reshuffled the benches today and replaced Justice Hasan Rizvi with another judge after which Justice Isa and Justice Yahya Afridi raised objections to the allocation of cases.

The judges questioned the procedure of assigning cases in the top court. During the hearing, the court also summoned the registrar of the Supreme Court along with all the records.

“I am a Supreme Court judge and have been the chief justice of Balochistan High Court for five years,” said Justice Isa, adding that he wants transparency.

“How will there be transparency if the registrar transfers a case from one bench to another?” he questioned.

“It seems like the registrar has more power than a judge like me,” he said, adding, “He cannot hear the cases from the year 2010 as the registrar appoints the judges by himself”.

“Can I ask the registrar to appoint a specific case to a specific bench?” Justice Isa asked.

At this, the registrar said that the hearing of the cases is scheduled only after Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial‘s approval.

“The bench included Justice Hasan Rizvi. Why did it change?” questioned Justice Afridi.

Amanullah, former president Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) said people had tired themselves out by asking but their cases were not fixed for hearing.

“What is the policy behind the allocation of cases?” Justice Isa asked the SC registrar.

He said that the court had ordered the registrar on April 2, 2022, to set the procedure for scheduling cases.

Justice Isa said there was no transparency in the case-assigning procedure at the registrar’s office.

“Why were mine and Justice Yahya Afridi’s benches changed?” he asked the registrar and argued that changing the benches without informing the stakeholders created suspicions in the minds of the people.

The registrar said that the chief justice’s staff officer made a proposal regarding the reshuffling of benches on verbal instructions.

He added that the officer had said that the roster of the judges was to be changed on the chief justice’s directives.

Justice Yahya Afridi asked the registrar how was the weekly roster changed. “Was this roster set by Chief Justice rather than you (registrar)?” Justice Afridi asked.

“The initial roster is sent to the Chief Justice after setting the benches,” the registrar responded.

To this Justice Isa said, “think before you speak, people look to Supreme Court for justice”.

“Present the file and the approval upon which the note was sent,” Qazi Isa told the registrar. “Sir, there’s no file, we send it on paper like this one,” the registrar responded.

“You kill half the justice if you bring my brother’s case forward for hearing on my behest by pushing the scheduled ones back,” Justice Isa remarked.

“I am sorry to the petitioners and the lawyers, I will not be conducting the hearings today,” said Justice Isa, adding that a reason was not given regarding the sudden change of benches.

“The sudden change in benches and the rescheduling of the cases cast doubts on the whole judicial process,” he remarked.

He said that Article 10-A was about basic rights, “which say that a person shall be entitled to due process”.

“There should be legal reasons to change a bench,” he said, adding that the dignity of the judiciary would be affected if there was no transparency.

“The cases that were filed first should get precedence and be heard first,” he added.

Latest News

Rainfall throughout the night stops flights in Lahore.

Published

23 hours ago

Farwa

Allama Iqbal International Airport experienced many hours of flight disruption due to the intense rainfall and windstorms that occurred overnight in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab.

Aviation sources claim that because of the monsoon weather, the flight operation was unable to operate between 3 and 4 am.

It is possible that the planes will arrive at the airport at 4 am.

Amidst delays in foreign airline flights, three aircraft made landings in Multan and Peshawar.

Riyadh flights arrived in Peshawar Airport, while flights scheduled to land in Lahore in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain ended up landing in Multan Airport.

Seven hours later than scheduled, the Qatar Airways flight from Doha arrived in Lahore.

Because of the bad weather, there are delays in the arrival and departure of numerous international planes.

Latest News

Changes to Pakistan’s Test team could be significant for the Bangladesh series.

Published

23 hours ago

Farwa

Major changes to Pakistan’s team are anticipated ahead of the forthcoming Test series against Bangladesh, sources in Lahore have revealed.

As the team gets ready for the series, meetings with the players are planned for next week.

It is predicted that the Test squad would undergo several changes. The team’s lineup is expected to be strengthened by the likely inclusion of Muhammad Huraira. Key players like Faheem Ashraf, Wasim Jr., Saim Ayub, and Nauman Ali, whose contributions are vital to the team’s success, struggle to get a spot on the squad.

Furthermore, according to sources, Imamul Haq or Sahibzada Farhan are anticipated to be added to the team, subject to additional assessment. Furthermore, following a fitness assessment, Amir Jamal and Hasan Ali’s futures will be determined.

The ultimate selection for the Test team will take place following Red Ball head coach Jason Gillespie’s return to Pakistan. The ultimate squad that will play Bangladesh in the forthcoming Test series will be greatly influenced by his assessments and thoughts.

Pakistan is scheduled to visit New Zealand in March and April of 2025, according to the country’s official cricket schedule, which was released earlier this month.

Throughout their visit, the Pakistan cricket team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in an exciting series.

The T20I series, which starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 16, will serve as the tour’s opening event.

Latest News

PM Meets With KP Lawmakers: Promises Progression and Relief Efforts in Province

Published

23 hours ago

Farwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhawa lawmakers are given assurances by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the province’s development, namely in the amalgamated districts, with a particular emphasis on the provision of standard health and educational facilities.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa National and Provincial Assembly members paid a visit to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at PM House.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister stated that the PML-N Government has always given priority to the development of the combined districts.

The prime minister promised that the combined Districts would have standard health and educational facilities, and that Danish Schools would be established nearby to offer local pupils an education of the highest caliber possible.

The PM also underlined the importance of promoting solar energy, combating electricity theft, and helping the middle class and impoverished.

He said that in order to boost the agriculture sector’s growth, expand the amount of land under cultivation, and reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign fuel imports, the government was converting agricultural tubewells to solar energy nationwide.

According to PM Shehbaz Sharif, the government recently provided significant reduction from electricity rates for those with low and moderate incomes.

At the event, he also announced the creation of a committee headed by the deputy prime minister, whose goal will be to identify long-term solutions to the issues facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elected officials.

He argued that in order to preserve the nation from going into default, the current government had to make difficult political choices in order to revitalize the economy.

The parliamentarians gave Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif high marks for his visionary leadership in transforming Pakistan’s economy.