Jazeela Aslam appointed as “first-ever” woman top court registrar.
A full court bench will hear Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill
ISLAMABAD: Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Sunday took oath as the 29th chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) at a ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, following the retirement of Justice Umar Ata Bandial,
He was administered the oath of office by President Arif Alvi. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, top military officials, caretaker federal ministers, senators and foreign ambassadors, attended the ceremony.Justice Isa will serve in the top judicial office until October 25, 2024.
The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, following which the notification for Justice Isa’s appointment was read out. The president then administered the oath to Justice Isa.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by the caretaker prime minister, services chiefs, cabinets members, sitting and retired judges and lawyers.
Top court judges Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yayha Afridi attended the swearing in ceremony.
A day earlier, outgoing CJP Umar Ata Bandial reportedly held a farewell meeting with the officers and staff of the Supreme Court on Saturday.
In his brief speech on the occasion, CJP Bandial expressed his best wishes for his successor, fellow judges and the staff.
Tears rolled down his cheeks, as CJP Bandial likened himself to the setting sun. Reportedly, the outgoing CJP has vacated his official residence at the Judges Colony in Islamabad.
It is important to mention here that Umar Ata Bandial served the apex judicial office for over 19 months after his appointment on Feb 2, 2022.
His successor, Justice Isa, will serve as the CJP for over a year, until Oct 25, 2024. He took the oath as a Supreme Court judge on Sept 5, 2014.
Justice Isa was born on October 26, 1959, in Quetta. His father, Qazi Muhammad Isa, was a leading member of the movement for the establishment of Pakistan and a close associate of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Justice Isa completed his primary education in Quetta and his A and O levels at Karachi Grammar School. He then went to London to study law, where he completed the bar professional examination.
Justice Isa was registered as an advocate in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) on January 30, 1985, and became an advocate of the SC in March 1998.
He practiced law in the BHC and the SC for over 27 years before being appointed as the chief justice of the BHC in 2009.
The jurist served as chief justice of the high court from 2009 to 2014 and was elevated to the SC in 2014.
Following the declaration of a state of emergency in the country on November 3, 2007, the judge made a principled decision. He chose not to appear before judges who he believed had violated their oath.
During the same period, the apex court nullified the decision made on November 3 and the then-judges of the BHC resigned in protest.
Fast-forward to August 5, 2009, Justice Isa assumed the position of judge and later chief justice of the BHC. Subsequently, on September 5, 2014, he took the oath as an SC jurist.
Recently, Justice Isa has been at the centre of attention due to his protest against the non-implementation of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act, which was created during the Shehbaz Sharif era.
As an act of protest, he has refrained from hearing any cases for the past five months and opted to work in his chambers instead.
While,
As per the official notification, Aslam — a district and sessions court judge from Okara — will serve as the top court’s registrar for three years on deputation. Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has also handed over Aslam’s services to the top court.
Separately, Dr Mushtaq Ahmed — serving as a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Shariah and Law at Shifa Tameer e Milat University — has been appointed as CJP Isa’s secretary, whereas Balochistan’s Abdul Sadiq — serving as a security officer in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) — will serve as the new CJP’s staff officer.
Earlier,
A full court would hear an application against the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 — a bill that required the formation of benches on constitutional matters of public importance by a committee of three senior judges — on Monday (tomorrow), according to the cause list issued on Sunday. Newly sworn in Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa would preside over the larger bench.
The top judge took the decision after taking oath as the 29th CJP of Pakistan.
The full court comprises CJP Isa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, and Justice Musarrat Hilali.
An eight-judge bench headed by the outgoing CJP suspended the enforcement of the Supreme Court (Practice & Procedure) Act, 2023, on April 13.
A Justice Isa-led commission in a statement had earlier contended the formation of a bench that was hearing a set of six challenges against the probe body formed to look into the audio leaks against the backdrop of the suspended act.
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