ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial formed five-member bench to take up petitions against audio leak commission probing various audio leaks involving judges and politicians.

Larger bench including Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneed Akhtar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed will hear petitions.

Earlier, government had formed three-member inquiry commission to investigate leaked audios allegedly involving judiciary and former chief justices and judge, saying conversations had raised apprehensions over impartiality of judges. Three-member commission is headed by Supreme Court’s Justice Qazi Faez Isa while Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq are its members.

PTI Chief Imran Khan approached SC against commission. In constitutional petition, he pleaded apex court to declare commission null and void. Khan took plea that no judge could be appointed as member of judicial commission without permission of Chief Justice of Pakistan.

He argued that proper forum for any probe or taking action against any judge was Supreme Judicial Council. Imran Khan filed petition through his counsel Babar Awan.

Published in The Daily National Courier, May, 26 2023

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