ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to 23, including the Chief Justice.
As per newspaper report, the government has submitted the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill to the National Assembly Secretariat, amending the 1997 Act, while deciding on important legislation related to the Judiciary.
The contents of the proposed bill by Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry, a member of the government, have also been revealed. According to it, the increase in the number of Supreme Court judges is necessary due to the backlog of cases. Increasing the number of judges will ensure timely hearing and decisions of cases.
According to the text of the bill, experts are needed in cases of cybercrime, environmental laws, and international trade. By appointing judges with expertise in different fields, accurate decision-making will be possible. Increasing the number of judges will not put unnecessary pressure on individual judges; there will be a shortage.
A large number of judges can lead to divergent opinions in judgments. Many countries with judicial systems similar to Pakistan have a large number of judges. Therefore, the increase in the number of judges has resulted in decisions in line with international standards in Pakistan.
It should be noted that the total number of judges in the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice of Pakistan and 2 ad hoc judges, is 19 at present. Late last month, two retired Supreme Court judges, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mazhar Alam Mian Khel, were sworn in as ad hoc judges for one year.
On the appointment of ad hoc judges, some lawyers’ organizations, including a political party, had raised objections that Chief Justice Supreme Court Qazi Faiz Isa wanted to bring his like-minded judges to the court by appointing ad hoc judges.
