ISLAMABAD: SC judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has written to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, urging the formation of a full court to hear pleas challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

In his letter, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said that the petitions, which question the amendment’s constitutionality, should be heard by a full court to ensure a thorough and conclusive ruling.

He noted that the amendment altered the composition of the Judicial Commission, and any decision on the petitions could potentially invalidate actions taken by the commission under the contested amendment.

Justice Shah warned that if the petitions succeed, it could render the decisions of the Judicial Commission null and void, which may cause embarrassment to the institution and its members. He stressed the need for a timely decision to resolve the legal status of the commission.

The letter also referenced a prior decision made by Justice Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar on October 31 to schedule a hearing for the petitions, but the registrar has not yet listed them before a full court.

Justice Shah pointed out the urgency of addressing these petitions and urged the Chief Justice to direct the Registrar to schedule them for hearing before a full court bench.

Furthermore, Justice Shah clarified that while Article 19-A of the Constitution restricts regular Supreme Court benches from hearing constitutional petitions, it does not prevent a full court from doing so.

He proposed that the meetings of the Judicial Commission be delayed until the petitions challenging the 26th Amendment are resolved.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 06 2024

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