ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Monday remarked that parliament passed the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act that sought to regulate discretionary powers of the top judge with good intentions.
The CJP made the remarks during the Supreme Court’s full court hearing on the petitions against the SC law.
The Chief Justice voiced displeasure after a petitioner cited the US court’s verdict as precedent to challenge the amendments in the SC law.
CJP Isa-led full-court bench consists of 15 judges of the Supreme Court including Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Musarrat Hilali.
At the outset of the hearing, the CJP told the petitioners’ counsels to conclude their arguments early as the top court wanted to conclude proceedings of the case today.
“At least cite the decision of the US Supreme Court. Our standards have stooped so low that we are now citing a verdict of a New Jersey court,” the CJP remarked after Supreme Court Bar Association President Abid Zuberi quoted a verdict to defend his objections to the law.
