Punjab, KP polls sou motu: Bench dissolved after recusal of four judges

• SC to resume sou motu hearing on Punjab, KP elections
• A nine-member bench hears the case
• Development surfaces two days after President announces elections

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) nine-member bench formed to hear the sou motu notice on the elections of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been dissolved.

As per details, the bench dissolved after Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Yahya Afridi recused themselves from hearing the case and a new five-member branch will hear the case now.

The hearing of the case was scheduled to resume today at 11am, however, was delayed reportedly due to the bench formation in the light of a Supreme Court order.

Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken suo motu notice of the delay in conducting elections of two provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A nine-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial includes Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Athar Minallah heared the case.

The development comes two days after President Dr Arif Alvi unilaterally announced April 9 as the date for elections to the provincial assemblies. The decision was made after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) refused to hold consultations on the election date and maintained the president was not the authority on elections of provincial assemblies.

In the notice, the Chief Justice said more than a month had passed since the two provincial assemblies were dissolved and “it seems prima facie that even the matter of appointing the date of the general elections, which is the first step towards the holding of the elections, has still not been resolved”.

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