ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, put forth by the law minister, was approved by the senate on Thursday with a majority decision.
Up to 60 legislators supported the measure, while 19 senators opposed it. Legislators from the opposition tore up draughts of the proposed legislation. The bill aims to limit the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) ability to issue individual suo motu notice.
The opposition’s move to refer the measure to the Senate’s standing committee was defeated in the house. The house agreed to a motion made by the Treasury benches to approve the bill right away.
In the interim, Senate security personnel built a barrier between opposition legislators and the Treasury. The measure was then put up for vote in the house after that. With a majority of votes, the house approved the measure.
PTI Despite their attempts to speak, Senator Ali Zafar and opposition leader Shahzad Wasim were not permitted to discuss the measure.
On March 28, the federal cabinet gave the measure its approval. Later, on Wednesday, it was approved by the National Assembly. The Standing Committee on Law and Justice made a few changes hours ago. PTI members vigorously opposed the measure as it was being introduced in the upper house on Thursday.
When introducing the bill in the Senate, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said, “Law can never be stagnant. In order for the law to serve the requirements of the people today, one must leave room for change in it. “Instead of managing the court through collective thinking, the court became dependent on an individual,” the law minister said.
Executives were repeatedly made to appear on the rostrum, he said, criticising the overuse of suo motu powers. Suo motu notices were made, and issues regarding street cleaning were also raised.
The minister bemoaned the fact that the state had to suffer losses amounting to billions of dollars as a result of suo motu notifications. He cited the government’s losses in the Reko Diq agreement and the Steel Mills. He added that the liver facility was another instance of the overuse of suo motu powers.
According to Mr. Tarar, voices from the Senate and different law associations have been raised calling for “collective thinking” to be reflected in the “jurisdiction of Article 106 of the Constitution.”
He defended the necessity of the bill by stating that there had been calls for legislation to “solve the issue” during recent Senate sessions. He also emphasised the fact that the standing committee had proposed two changes on Wednesday.
The law minister went over the main points of the bill before stating that the Supreme Court now holds the position that it shouldn’t be just one individual who has the authority to form benches.
“Only group decision-making advances organisations. In order for institutions to function effectively, we should focus on strengthening the structure rather than the personalities, he argued.
Mr. Tarar added that the bill would resolve the dilemmas of determining whether or not a case is of public significance and when it must be scheduled for hearing.The session adjourned following the bill’s approval until Friday at 10:30. (tomorrow).