Pakistan approves bill to curtail powers of Chief Justice

Islamabad: After the Pakistan federal cabinet approved a ‘controversial’ bill to deprive the office of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) of powers to take suo motu notice in an individual capacity, the proposed legislation was referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for further deliberations.

The amendments which have been proposed in the Supreme Court’s rules, have sparked a fresh debate in legal and political circles and it is expected that the bill may be struck down by the apex court, Dawn reported.

Soon after the approval of the bill, called the “Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023”, by the federal cabinet in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, it was tabled in the National Assembly.

The bill was introduced in the assembly through a supplementary agenda, as it was not included in the original orders of the day.

It is expected that the standing committee will pass the bill in its meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Dawn reported.

The bill proposes a committee of three judges headed by the chief justice which will be empowered to take suo motu notice as opposed to the earlier practice, which allowed the CJP to initiate proceedings under Article 184(3) in an individual capacity.