Hearing on reserved seats review appeals in Supreme Court postponed till tomorrow

Islamabad: A crucial hearing on constitutional and legal points on review appeals related to reserved seats in the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been postponed until 11:30 am tomorrow. The hearing was conducted by an 11-member full court bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, during which various legal points were discussed on the formation of the bench, live streaming of court proceedings, and the application of constitutional articles.

Hamid Khan, a lawyer for the Sunni Ittehad Council, requested the court during the hearing that since the main hearing of the case had previously been broadcast live, the hearing of the current review appeals should also be shown live to the public. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar explained that these live broadcasts were started as a "pilot project" during the tenure of former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and the committee had submitted its suggestions for broadcasting in all courtrooms.

On this occasion, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail remarked that the implementation of the cases that were broadcast in the past has been completed, and even now live broadcasting is allowed only on specific cases. He asked lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan whether the Supreme Court rules are still applicable today. On which the lawyer was of the opinion that in the presence of Article 191A of the Constitution, the traditional rules could not get the upper hand.

Objections to the composition of the bench were also discussed in detail during the hearing. Advocate Makhdoom Ali Khan said that the bench hearing the review appeals is 13 members, and the two judges who gave the dissent note did not announce their departure from the bench. On this, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar said that those judges have also said that our vote should not be counted.

It was also pointed out in the arguments that if more judges disagree on the composition of the bench, the majority of the judges can come down to seven, and such a decision will be called 'Order of the Court,' provided it is signed.

At the end of the hearing, the chief justice adjourned the proceedings till 11:30 am tomorrow so that the parties could complete the arguments with more preparation. Given the importance of the case, it is being monitored by legal and constitutional experts at the national level, and in the near future, it may also have an impact on the electoral system and parliamentary representation.