Govt mulls bill to raise number of SC judges

ISLAMABAD: The government is contemplating a bill to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court through the National Assembly on Friday.

PMLN MNA Danyal Chaudhry will introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as a private member’s bill, which will be supported by members on the treasury benches.

The proposed legislation, which requires a simple majority to pass, will seek to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court from 17 to 23, including the chief justice. “The number of judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, other than the chief justice, shall be twenty-two,” states the proposed amendment to Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1997.

Danyal Chaudhry had introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Bill, 2024, as a private member’s bill in the National Assembly on September 10, and it was referred to the standing committee.

It may be pointed out that Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has initiated the process for the constitution of Judicial Commission of Pakistan for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court. The commission, to be headed by the chief justice, will also comprise two senators and two MNAs, ensuring equal representation from both the government and opposition.

The speaker wrote to both the government and the opposition on Monday, seeking nomination for the commission. The statement of objects and reasons for the bill states that the increase in number of judges will help address the backlog of cases in the apex court more efficiently.