Bar council have expressed their support for the Constitution and cautioned that a nationwide protest might ensue if the Supreme Court does not revoke its stay order against the law limiting the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) by May 2.
The Supreme Court suspended the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act of 2023 on April 13, despite the federal government declaring it a law on April 21, even as the stay order persisted.
On Saturday, the Balochistan Bar Council (BBC) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) arranged a meeting at Balochistan High Court, which was attended by Vice-chairpersons, presidents, and delegates from all provincial bar councils, high court bar associations, and district bar associations attended the convention to protest the CJP’s refusal to form a larger bench to hear the polls case.
Barrister Salahuddin, addressing the gathering, asked why the CJP consistently assigns sensitive cases to particular justices. He stated that the current crisis affects the whole nation, and the judicial crisis surpasses the election issue.
Considering the present situation, the lawyer said the CJP should form a larger bench. He pondered why the chief judge decided not to establish a larger bench.
Meanwhile, Advocate Imam Rizvi mentioned that the highest court calls for unity yet does not promote unity within itself.
Adil Aziz, the vice-chairman of the IHCBA, observed that the present administration and the Supreme Court aim to create a judiciary that lacks public trust. He called for restoring confidence in the Supreme Court among the public and attorneys.
Arif Abbasi, Vice Chairman of the SHCBA, agreed with Aziz, stating that a judge should step down from a case if a person does not want them to preside over it.
Advocate Saleem Lashari of the Balochistan Bar Council attributed the current crisis to the Supreme Court’s decision: “The crisis wouldn’t have happened if the Supreme Court hadn’t violated the Constitution.” He added that the chief justice should have stayed away from this issue.
On May 2 (Tuesday), the Supreme Court is set to resume hearing challenges to the constitutionality of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023.
