SC Practice and Procedure Amendment bill seeks oversight on public interest cases

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Amendment Ordinance 2024 was presented in the Senate on Friday.

Acting chairman Syed Al Khan chaired the session, where the amendment was presented by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

Subsequently, the amendment was referred to the relevant standing committee for review.

The amendment introduces a new clause to Section 2 of the Practice and Procedure Act, stipulating that the committee will have not only the Chief Justice of Pakistan but also the senior-most judge and another judge appointed by the chief justice.

Also read: Practice and Procedure Amendment Ordinance challenged in SC

A new sub-clause has been added to Section 2 of the Practice and Procedure Act, which stipulates that the committee will include, in addition to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the most senior judge and another judge nominated by the chief justice.

Under Subsection 2 of Section 3 and Clause 3 of Article 184, reasons of public interest must be provided before a case is heard. Sections 7A and 7B have also been added to the ordinance.

According to Section 7A, cases filed earlier will be heard first, and if a judicial bench decides to hear a case out of sequence, it must provide the reasons for doing so.

Section 7B seeks that all judicial proceedings and appeals be recorded, with a transcript made publicly accessible.

The ordinance, originally approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the federal cabinet, was signed into effect by President Asif Zardari on September 20.

It aims to broaden the chief justice’s jurisdiction in scheduling cases within the Supreme Court.