All SHC judges to sit on constitutional bench till Nov 24

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Friday decided that all judges of the Sindh High Court (SHC) will serve on constitutional benches until November 24.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi chaired a second meeting of the JCP, constituted under the recently enacted 26th Constitutional Amendment, to discuss a single-point agenda of forming a constitutional bench within the SHC, a proposal presented by SHC CJ Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui.

The commission unanimously endorsed the proposal, nominating all current SHC judges for constitutional bench duties.

In attendance at the Supreme Court meeting were Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Aminuddin Khan, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, who joined briefly via video link before his flight departure.

Also present were SHC CJ Shafi Siddiqui, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Senators Farooq H. Naek and Shibli Faraz, National Assembly members Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Omar Ayub Khan, and Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, as well as representatives from the Sindh Bar Council and Pakistan Bar Council.

Judicial Commission representative Akhtar Hussain was unable to attend due to his wife's health condition.

Law Minister Tarar, speaking with the media after the meeting, confirmed the commission's decision to defer further discussions to November 25.

"In the meantime, judges across all courts remain authorised to hear constitutional cases," he stated.

He added that the SHC can also preside over civil cases under its original jurisdiction, with 12 judge positions currently vacant in the high court, some left unfilled for years as cases continue to accumulate.

Discussions focused on these vacancies, but no final decisions on appointments were reached.

Tarar clarified that the allocation of benches and the assignment of cases do not fall under the Judicial Commission's responsibilities. "These tasks are managed by an administrative committee of three senior judges," he noted, emphasizing that all judges are held in high regard.

Responding to a journalist's question about mentions of terrorism in the discussions, Tarar replied in a light-hearted tone, "That was merely casual conversation, no need to stir trouble".

According to sources, discussions also touched on potential nominees for the constitutional benches in the Sindh High Court. Sources also confirmed that the provincial government has not yet made a decision regarding similar benches in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

It's worth noting that the Supreme Court has already finalised appointments for constitutional benches across high courts. All appeals concerning legal or constitutional interpretations will now be directed to these designated benches.