ISLAMABAD – Supreme Court of Pakistan senior judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah voiced against withdrawing cases from bench, citing threat to Judicial Independence
In a strong statement, the senior jurist emphasized that withdrawing cases from the judicial bench could undermine the independence of the judiciary. He made these remarks during a hearing of a case related to a contempt notice issued against the additional registrar for failing to schedule a case concerning the powers of benches.
The hearing was presided over by Justice Mansoor, who was joined by Justice Aqeel Abbasi on a two-member bench. The case in question had been delayed, prompting the judges to inquire about the reasons behind the scheduling issue. The registrar explained that the case was originally intended for a constitutional bench but had been mistakenly assigned to a regular bench.
Another apex court judge raised concerns about how such a significant error could have gone unnoticed for such a long period. He clarified that the only mistake in this instance was his inclusion on the bench, as he had already been involved in hearing the case at the high court level.
The hearing shows importance of upholding the proper judicial processes and the potential consequences of actions that could compromise the independence and integrity of the judiciary.
