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ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said on Friday that only the chief justice had the power to nominate a Supreme Court (SC) judge for inquiry commissions.
A five-member larger bench is hearing petitions filed against the government forming a judicial inquiry commission to probe into the audio leaks surrounding the superior judiciary.
Last week, the federal government had formed the judicial commission to probe into over half-a-dozen leaked audio clips allegedly involving some current and former members of the superior judiciary and their family members to determine their “veracity” and “impact on the independence of the judiciary”.
The three-man judicial commission is led by SC senior puisne judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprises Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
However, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Abid Zuberi filed a petition in the top court against the formation of the commission, arguing that the body was in violation of articles 9, 14, 18, 19, and 25 of the Constitution.
Subsequently, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial formed a five-judge larger bench to take up petitions filed against the formation of a judicial inquiry commission probing into the audio leaks allegedly involving current and former members of the superior judiciary and their family members.
Apart from the CJP as the head, the bench includes Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed.
During today’s hearing, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan expressed reservations against the five-member larger bench headed by CJ Bandial
At the outset of the hearing, the AGP raised objections of the bench.
