ISLAMABAD: In response to Vice Chairman Hafeez-Ur-Rehman Chaudhry’s address, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial ordered the lawyer not to use harsh words for his office’s registrar on Friday, as he criticized claims against judges.
“My registrar has a 20-year-long academic career, stop abusing him,” he told a full-court reference summoned on the occasion of Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin’s retirement.
The CJP stated that he constitutes all of the benches personally and urged people to desist from accusing and pointing blame at judges.
He advised those in attendance to focus on the specific person with whom they were having problems rather than creating a broad impression.
The CJP’s angry reaction came after the PBC vice-chairman criticized the judiciary before the chief justice spoke at the same ceremony.
“The vice-chairman of the Pakistan Bar’s declaration that judges are paid employees was uncalled for and unjust,” the chief justice said, adding, “Blaming judges is unjust and inappropriate.”
Some persons, according to the chief justice, did not want to speak to him directly and preferred to make headlines instead.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa wrote to the Chief Justice of Pakistan two days ago, saying he was “perplexed” by Justice of Bandial’s decision to hear the presidential reference for the interpretation of Article 63A alongside the Supreme Court Bar Association’s (SCBA) petition on the no-confidence motion.
The CJP said he prefers not to use harsh language, but that a judge’s patience in dealing with the pressures of internal and external circumstances was critical in making decisions.
He also stated that judges were appointed on the basis of merit and that he had never issued a judgment under duress. “I’m also the one who makes the benches.”
In a three-page letter to the chief justice dated March 22, Justice Isa also raised concerns about a number of legal issues, including the construction of a larger bench “without the involvement of senior-most judges.”
CJP Bandial went on to say that he is a visitor who will have to leave in “a few days.”
He claimed that judges are unable to respond to the claims leveled against them and that no judge can be targeted without proof.
The mechanism for appointing judges, according to the chief justice, is being worked out by consensus.
“The issues should be dealt with in the privacy of one’s own home.” Outside of it, there is no reason to talk about the institution,” CJP Bandial stated.
When asked about the registrar’s appointment, the CJ stated that one of the greatest officials was chosen.
He said, “What do you want […] should I also undertake the administrative work?” He further noted that at court number one, no request for an extension was made.
Faez Isa’s worries are shared by the SCBA.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon, for one, believes that the process for appointing judges should be made transparent.
The SCBA president stated, “Eligible lawyers should be appointed as judges.”
Bhoon went on to say that Justice Isa’s letter to the top judge conveyed the impression that there was a split in the top judiciary.
“I am hopeful that the Chief Justice will dispel this misconception […] “We support Justice Isa’s objections to officers being appointed to the judiciary,” the SCBA president remarked.
The PBC claims the SC judges did not give a “fair chance” to the plaintiffs.
During his statement, the PBC vice-chairman stated that parties and stakeholders do not have a “fair chance” to be heard in the Supreme Court.
“Dates for cases are not determined in the Supreme Court for many years, and they become ineffective as a result of the delay,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s higher court should issue decisions that preserve the constitution’s supremacy.
The appointment of Justice Ayesha Malik is a “historic step.”
While giving his goodbye statement at the full-court reference, Justice Amin noted that Justice Ayesha Malik’s appointment is a historic step.
“It has taken seven decades to realise that gender is not a barrier to appointments to the higher courts,” Justice Amin stated.
He stated that his wife and his family were always there for him in good and bad times.
He expressed gratitude to all of the judges, attorneys general, and bar representatives for their kind remarks. He also expressed gratitude to the rest of the court staff.
Profile of Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin
In 2019, Justice Amin was appointed to the Supreme Court as a judge, but he continued to serve as an expert judge in a criminal case. He was also a civil case expert.
Amin emphasised equal rights for women throughout his career, according to Attorney-General Khalid Jawed Khan, and his daughter is also a police officer.
He recounted how a retired judge rendered a landmark decision on the subject of female recruitment in boys’ institutions.
