Amid strong opposition from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice has agreed to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to 25 in order to address the backlog of cases. The meeting, chaired by Senator Farooq H. Naek, confirmed the proposal, which includes the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
During the session, lawmakers from PTI and JUI-F expressed significant concerns. PTI Senator Hamid Khan criticized the legislation as an infringement on judicial independence, calling it an “attack” on the institution. JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza echoed these sentiments, suggesting that the legislation aimed to appoint “favourite judges” to the court, asserting that the judiciary was functioning well after October 25 and that an increase was unnecessary.
In contrast, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Shahadat Awan advocated for raising the number of judges to at least 21, while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Khalil Tahir noted that Senator Abdul Qadir had introduced a private member bill to increase the judges’ strength.
The committee’s majority supported the decision to enhance the number of judges to expedite justice, especially given that over 60,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court. Senator Murtaza and PTI’s Hamid reiterated their opposition, emphasizing the bill as detrimental to judicial independence.
Recently, a full court meeting chaired by the newly appointed Chief Justice Yahya Afridi revealed that 59,191 cases are currently pending. In September, an independent senator from Balochistan proposed a bill to increase the number of judges from 17 to 21, citing the backlog.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar endorsed the legislation, highlighting the need for timely justice, especially in capital punishment cases that have been delayed for years. To mitigate the backlog, two retired judges were appointed as ad hoc judges for one year in July.
Additionally, reports indicate that the government plans to defer a key bill aimed at amending the Supreme Court’s number of judges in the National Assembly, which will likely be discussed in an upcoming session. The proposed legislation requires a simple majority to pass and seeks to expand the number of Supreme Court judges as part of ongoing judicial reforms following the recent 26th Constitutional Amendment.
