After the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court, the ‘controversial’ Supreme Court bill has landed in the Lahore High Court as well. Section 4 of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 has been challenged in the Lahore High Court. According to the petitioner, citizen Mashkoor Hussain, the proposed law provides right to appeal against suo motu judgments, which is contrary to articles 184 and 185.

The federal government and the president through his principal secretary have been made parties in the application. The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 has become an Act after approval from both Houses of parliament. The petitioner maintains that Section 4 of the Act provides for a right to appeal against suo motu judgments. Giving the right is contrary to articles 184 and 185, he added.

The right to appeal can only be given by amending articles 184 and 185 of the Constitution, the petition further stated, and pleaded Section 4 of the proposed Act be annulled. It also sought suspension of implementation of Section 4 of the Bill until a final decision on the application.

The federal government should be held accountable for violation of the Constitution, it stressed. On Tuesday, the bill, recently passed by a joint session of parliament to clip the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan, was challenged in the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP