The federal cabinet of Pakistan has approved the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, aiming to limit the discretionary powers of the country’s top judge to take suo motu notice.
This development comes after two Supreme Court judges, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, questioned the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) powers, stating that the apex court “cannot be dependent on the solitary decision of one man, the Chief Justice.”
With the cabinet’s approval, the bill will now proceed to the National Assembly for clearance from the lower house of parliament. The amended bill proposes that a committee comprising three senior judges decide regarding suo motu notices. It also includes a clause that allows for challenging the notice within 30 days, with hearings scheduled within two weeks.
The National Assembly will send the proposed bill to the NA Standing Committee on Law and Justice for further approval.
The committee, chaired by Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, is set to meet and pass the bill. After approval from all relevant bodies, the bill will be tabled in the Senate on Thursday for final authorization.
 Bill, 2023, aiming to limit the Chief Justice's discretionary powers to take suo motu notice, moving it forward for clearance in the National Assembly.){kind=link}