The Supreme Court issued a show-cause notice for contempt to its Additional Registrar, Nazar Abbas, commanding his personal appearance.
During the hearing of a specific case, Barrister Salahuddin highlighted to the bench, led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, that despite the court’s order to schedule the case for that day, it was omitted from the cause list.
Addressing the issue, Justice Shah directly questioned why the case concerning the powers of the Supreme Court benches was not scheduled as instructed, prompting him to summon the court official.
Deputy Registrar Zulfiqar Ahmed, who replaced the absent Additional Registrar, appeared before the court and informed the Court that the Judges Committee had scheduled the related constitutional amendment case for January 27 before the Constitutional Bench.
Surprised, Justice Shah noted his lack of awareness despite being a committee member. Justice Ayisha Malik inquired why the cause list for the entire week was altered, requesting a written directive. The Deputy Registrar responded that they had not received any written order from the judges’ committee, leading Justice Shah to question why the case remained unscheduled.
Justice Aqeel Abbasi emphasized that no one could unilaterally transfer the case. The Deputy Registrar mentioned that a note from the Research Officer suggested that the Constitutional Bench should hear legal question cases.
Justice Malik expressed concern over this protocol, stating, “Now the research officer will review the court orders and decide if they are correct or not.” She also remarked on the unprecedented disappearance of a case, saying, “I didn’t see any case in my judicial career that has vanished as it happens now.”
Ultimately, the court demanded the Additional Registrar explain in person why the case was not fixed for the day’s hearing and deferred the case’s hearing until Tuesday.
