SC refuses to entertain plea against 27th amendment

The Registrar's Office of the Supreme Court refused to receive a petition challenging the 27th Constitutional Amendment, observing that petitions of this nature could be filed before the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).

Interestingly, the FCC—the new apex court of the country that deals with constitutional questions but whose judges are appointed directly by the executive—was formed through the very 27th Constitutional Amendment, which was bulldozed through parliament on November 13, 2025.

Former Lahore High Court judge Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi approached the SC against the constitutional changes. He argued that the Constitution had been framed by a Constituent Assembly and that the 1973 Constitution had declared the SC the highest court of the country.

The petitioner contended that the present parliament was by no means a Constituent Assembly and, therefore, could not alter the basic features of the Constitution. He argued that the Constitution's basic structure could not be changed and that no one could be granted lifetime immunity in an Islamic state.

The petitioner maintained that judicial independence was directly linked to the appointment of judges and alleged that the 27th Amendment had, in effect, violated the Constitution.

The petitioner requested the SC to declare the 27th Constitutional Amendment null and void. He also sought the annulment of the lifetime immunity granted under Article 248 of the Constitution.