CJP Isa forms full court bench to hear SC Practice and Procedure Act

• CJ Faez Isa took oath as the 29th chief justice of Pakistan.
• He issued notices to the attorney general and concerned petitioners.
• The bill relates to the powers of the chief justice in issuing suo moto notices.

ISLAMABAD:  The Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear the Practice and Procedure Act case tomorrow (Monday).

A full court bench of the Supreme Court headed by newly-appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa will hear the case. The court has issued notices to the Attorney General of Pakistan and other petitioners.

Chief Justice Justice Qazi Faiz Isa constituted the full court bench after taking oath as the top judge of the apex court. Previously, an eight-member bench led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial had issued a stay order on the enforcement of the bill

The previous federal government passed the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act bill which limited the Chief Justice’s power to take suo moto notice.  The bill required the formation of benches on constitutional matters of public importance by a committee of three senior judges.

According to the new law, a committee comprising three senior judges led by CJ would decide the fate of the suo moto cases. Moreover, the new legislation allowed to appeal against sentences awarded on suo moto notices.

In a statement, a Justice Isa-led commission had earlier questioned the formation of a bench that was hearing a set of six challenges against the probe body formed to look into the audio leaks, saying that the bench hearing the matter was not determined by a three-member committee of judges as required under the suspended act.

Since the petitions challenging the audio commission were not fixed before the bench constituted by the committee of judges; therefore, these petitions cannot be heard until the committee determines which bench should hear them, the commission had stated.

On June 3, Justice Isa decided not to sit on a nine-judge bench hearing cases on the trial of civilians by the military courts. He said that until the court decides about the vires of the practice and procedure law he will not sit on the benches.

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