Judicial reforms: Supreme Court launches online portal for public feedback

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has launched an online feedback portal to encourage public participation and suggestions for judicial reforms, according to an official statement released on Monday.

The initiative was announced during a meeting on judicial reforms chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi. The session was attended by Supreme Court Bar Association representative Muhammad Aurangzeb, Registrar Muhammad Saleem, and other officials.

The meeting focused on reviewing progress in pivotal reform areas, including advancements in IT infrastructure, case management improvements, human resource optimization, capacity building, training programs, and the establishment of feedback mechanisms to engage stakeholders, including the general public.

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The Chief Justice emphasized that these reforms aim to bring transformative changes across all levels of the judiciary, beginning with the Supreme Court and extending to lower courts.

Acknowledging the vital role of inclusivity and collaboration, he highlighted the importance of gathering feedback from diverse stakeholders-judges, lawyers, litigants, and citizens.

The newly introduced online feedback form, now available on the Supreme Court’s official website, seeks suggestions from stakeholders and the general public on judicial reforms to improve transparency and services.

The Chief Justice expressed satisfaction over the progress made across various areas of judicial reforms.

Justice Yayha Afridi, who was sworn in as the 30th chief justice of Pakistan on October 26, is striving to introduce reforms in the judicial system of Pakistan to enhance service delivery and ensuring access to justice.

As part of the reforms agenda, the CJP initiated an unprecedented approach to personally visit the farthest districts of each province. This initiative commenced with his inaugural visit to Balochistan, beginning with Gwadar, the province’s most remote district on December 10.

Similarly, transformative initiatives are being introduced at the Supreme Court Branch Registry in provinces, under which eAffidavit System and an instant certified copies service were introduced at the Lahore Registry, both aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accessibility within the judicial system.