ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):Four Supreme Court judges on Monday recused themselves from hearing the suo moto case regarding the delay in the announcement of dates for the election of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provincial assemblies.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on February 22 took the suo moto notice over the delay in the election of two provincial assemblies, and constituted a nine-member bench to hear the case.
Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Yahya Afridi dissociated themselves, while the five-member bench headed by CJP and comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar continued hearing of the case.
At the outset of the proceedings, CJP Bandial said four members had disassociated themselves from the case, however, the remaining bench would continue hearing the case for the interpretation of the Constitution.
He expressed his concern over Justice Mandokhail’s dissenting note being shared on social media prematurely, which he deemed highly inappropriate.
He said the dissenting note could not be shared until the order was published on the official website.
The chief justice said the court would resume hearing the case at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) and try to wrap it up the same day.
