Judiciary in Focus: National Assembly Debates Supreme Court Reform

A heated debate unfolded in the National Assembly yesterday as Muslim League-N leader Daniyal Chaudhry introduced a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 23. However, Barrister Gohar Ali vehemently opposed the move, citing constitutional concerns.

Gohar argued that only the government has the authority to propose such an amendment, and warned that repealing the contempt of court law would undermine the judiciary’s ability to enforce its decisions.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq intervened, urging lawmakers not to dismiss the bill outright and instead send it to a committee for review.

Meanwhile, Barrister Gauhar highlighted the Supreme Court’s limited working days, comparing it unfavorably to India’s higher court. He advocated for increasing the working days to tackle the mounting backlog of cases.

Prime Minister Nazir Tarar revealed that a similar bill was referred to the Standing Committee by the Senate, and announced plans to add ten judges to the Peshawar High Court.

However, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar clarified that no final decision has been made on increasing the number of judges.

In a surprise move, the Speaker postponed the bill, leaving its fate uncertain.

In a separate development, JUI Member Noor Alam Khan introduced a constitutional amendment bill aimed at reforming the judiciary’s automatic notice authority. The bill proposes significant changes, including a minimum nine-judge bench for public cases and a 30-day appeal window.

Khan also presented another bill seeking to amend articles 177, 193, and 208, which would prohibit dual citizenship for judges and bureaucrats, among other reforms.”