SC benches to start work from April 13

According to apex court’s roster, six division benches will work at Islamabad registry

ISLAMABAD: All the benches of the Supreme Court (SC) will gradually resume work from April 13 despite the increase in the coronavirus cases in the country.

According to the apex court’s roster, six division benches will work at Islamabad registry, while a three-member bench will work at Karachi registry and a two-judge bench at Lahore registry.

However, it is learnt that only a few cases will be fixed before all the benches.

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Syed Qalb-e-Hassan observed that after the issuance of judges’ roster, lawyers from across the country were making phone calls to him expressing concern over the working of all benches in the wake of suspension of domestic flights from Karachi and Quetta due to COVID-19 pandemic.

He believed it would have been much better if the top court had waited for a fortnight more to resume the work.

However, another lawyer was of the opinion that resuming work by the benches was important as the apex court had not granted relief to the under-trial prisoners as by the high courts and it was necessary to move their bails for their release.

The SC judges are already concerned over the rapid increase in the backlog of cases in the top court.

According to a recent report of the apex court, 43,847 cases had been pending until March 31.

The report said that despite lockdown in the country, 602 new cases had been instituted, while 438 cases were decided from March 15 to March 31.

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The backlog of cases increased to around 2,000 during the tenure of Chief Justice (CJ) Gulzar Ahmed.

This rapid increase is the biggest challenge for the chief justice who has given a tough time to the executive authorities on maladministration, illegal appointments and encroachments on state land during the first 100 days of his tenure.

However, the pendency is also increasing due to a full court hearing of Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s case.

Likewise, the ongoing lockdown due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country is also affecting the top judicial functionary’s work.

The incumbent CJ has not taken any suo motu notice, while only one constitutional petition has been entertained in 2020.

However, CJ Gulzar Ahmed has been fixing the hearing of public interest matters which were initiated during the tenure of former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar.

A senior lawyer said though the chief justice was fixing old cases of public interest, his remarks regarding the performance of institutions were fresh which sometimes irked the executive.

However, a senior government functionary expressed satisfaction that despite giving hard-hitting remarks over the poor state of affairs in different government departments like Pakistan Railways and PIA, the chief justice did not pass any coercive order against the PTI-led government.

Since his appointment as top judge, Justice Gulzar Ahmed has mainly heard matters related to the appointment of PIA CEO Arshad Malik and massive financial losses sustained by the Pakistan Railways.

He has given three months to the federal government to complete the Karachi Circular Railway project and likewise ordered the Karachi administration to demolish illegal constructions in the city.

He has also directed the Attorney General Javed Khan to seek the government’s instructions regarding the Pakistan Steel Mills, which is not functioning but the staff is still drawing salaries of hundreds of millions of rupees from the public exchequer.