ISLAMABAD: The appointment of two new judges to form the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court was approved by a majority vote despite internal differences in the bench.
According to sources, Justice Aqeel Abbasi received eight votes, while Justice Ali Baqir Najafi received seven votes, after which both judges were made part of the constitutional bench.
Sources say that in the process of this appointment, some respected judges and legal experts raised serious objections. The appointments were opposed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar, who argued that clear and transparent rules and regulations were needed for this important process. Along with him, Barrister Ali Zafar and Barrister Gauhar also objected to the current method of appointing judges to the constitutional benches.
Opponents urged that a formal procedure for the future selection of judges to constitutional benches be established to ensure judicial transparency and public confidence.
This development took place at a time when debates were going on at the national level on reforms and autonomy in the judiciary. While the addition of two new judges is expected to improve the speed of constitutional cases, these differences may affect the higher judicial process in the future.
