SC larger bench to hear SIC petition on reserved seats

ISLAMABAD:  A 13-members full court of the Supreme Court has been formed to hear  the petition filed by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) regarding reserved seats.

The 13-member full court bench will be headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and the hearing will be held on June 3 on the plea of the Sunni Ittehad Council. The Justice Musarrat Hilali is not included in the bench due to heart trouble.

It should be remembered that a 3-member bench headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah had suspended the judgment of the Peshawar High Court.

The matter was referred to the Judges Committee for interpretation of the constitutional point under the Practice and Procedure Act and constitution of a larger bench.

Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had filed appeals against the Peshawar High Court’s decision while the Election Commission of Pakistan had given a decision not to give reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council, which was upheld by the Peshawar High Court.

Earlier, Following the Supreme Court’s decision on reserved seats, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) suspended lawmakers elected on seats withheld from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).