Justice Munib Akhtar has declared the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Article 63-A review case illegal. “I must register my protest against today’s order, which lacks judicial merit and legal standing,” stated Justice Akhtar.
Tensions within the Supreme Court escalated when a second letter from Justice Akhtar surfaced, challenging the four-judge bench’s legality in handling the case, all within 12 hours. In his communication to the Supreme Court Registrar, Justice Akhtar criticized the bench’s composition, arguing that a five-member bench was necessary to review the case. “A four-member bench is not qualified to review the Article 63-A case,” he wrote.
Read: Justice Munib Akhtar Steps Down from Article 63-A Review Bench
Justice Akhtar also noted his name was listed on the order from today’s hearing despite not having signed it. “The four judges are honourable, yet today’s proceedings did not comply with legal or court norms,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa has scheduled a critical meeting of the Judges’ Practice and Procedure Committee tomorrow at 9 AM. It is rumoured that this meeting might lead to another judge replacing Justice Akhtar in the Article 63-A review case.
Justice Akhtar previously expressed reservations about bench formations and the judges’ committee structure. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah also voiced concerns regarding the revised ordinance under which the committee was established. The upcoming meeting aims to resolve these internal conflicts.
