Bill seeks to increase number of SC judges

PML-N bill proposes expanding top court judges from 17 to 23

ISLAMABAD:

A bill seeking to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 23 was presented in the National Assembly.

The 'Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2024' was tabled during the assembly session by PML-N lawmaker Daniyal Chaudhry, alongside the Pakistan Environmental Protection (Amendment) Bill, which has now been referred to the relevant standing committee for further deliberation.

In addition, amendments to the National Assembly Rules were proposed by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Syed Naveed Qamar.

The amendments pertain to the process of introducing a constitutional amendment bill, requiring the support of one-fourth of the members standing in their seats for the motion.

The proposal was also referred to the standing committee for review.

The bill aims to address the increasing caseload in the Supreme Court by expanding the number of judges, a move that has garnered mixed reactions from legal experts and lawmakers.

The next phase will involve detailed discussions in the relevant committee before it returns to the assembly for further debate and potential approval.

The government did not object to the bill; however, opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai raised concerns about the bill and pointed out a quorum issue in the assembly.

Nonetheless, a count of the members confirmed that the quorum was met.

The information minister supported sending the bill to a committee for further processing, and it has been referred to the relevant committee.

Earlier this month, an amendment bill aimed at increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan was introduced in the Senate by Senator Abdul Qadir during a session chaired by Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani.