The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday the powers to take suo motu notice stayed with the chief justice alone and that a bench or a judge could recommend to the top judge for taking the suo motu notice.
The court issued the detailed judgment of the case, regarding the power of taking suo motu notice, which was decided on August 26, 2021. The 40-page judgment had been authored by Justice Muneeb Akhtar.
The judgment said that only the chief justice could exercise suo motu authority. It added that the notice taken by Justice Qazi Faez Isa on the request of the Press Association of the Supreme Court was being withdrawn.
The court also laid down rules for taking suo motu notice. According to the judgment, all the notices would be heard by the benches constituted by the chief justice, adding that no bench could summon anyone on its own or seek for report.
The ruling said that the chief justice's approval would be required to exercise the power of suo motu notice. It added that taking suo motu notice by a bench or a judge would affect judicial affairs.
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