ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has come into the open after the Supreme Court heard petitions against the 26th Constitutional Amendment. A letter from Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi has surfaced, in which he has made it clear that 9 out of 13 judges are in favor of hearing the case in a constitutional bench instead of a full court.
According to sources, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar called a committee meeting on October 31 in the absence of the Chief Justice and decided to schedule the case before the full court on November 4. The Chief Justice objected to this and said that under the Constitution, petitions under Article 184 can only be heard by a constitutional bench.
Both the judges insisted on a full court hearing, however, the Chief Justice, keeping in mind the majority opinion, referred the matter to the constitutional bench. This situation has once again highlighted the clear difference in the judges’ views on important constitutional matters in the Supreme Court.
