The Supreme Court of Pakistan has released the cause list for cases to be heard by the newly formed constitutional bench on November 14 and 15.
A three-judge committee was previously established to manage the cases, issue court rosters, and determine the weekly caseload for the constitutional bench. The bench, announced on Tuesday, is set to begin its hearings next week.
According to the cause list published on the Supreme Court’s website, a six-member bench, led by Justice Aminud Din Khan, will hear 34 cases. Of these, 18 cases are scheduled for November 14 and 16 for November 15.
On November 5, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), in its inaugural session, appointed Justice Aminud Din Khan as the head of the constitutional bench, with a seven-to-five majority vote.
The reconstituted JCP, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi, has also formed a seven-member constitutional bench comprising Justices Aminud Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha A Malik, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
Among the cases scheduled for hearing are several high-profile matters. These include cases related to environmental pollution from 1993, 2003, and 2018, as well as a revision petition challenging the dismissal of a petition concerning the appointment of Justice Qazi Faez Isa as Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court.
Additionally, a petition requesting the rescheduling of the 2024 general elections, proposing a shift from February to the first week of March, will be heard.
Cases on the agenda also include the harassment of women in workplaces, with the Ali Zafar-Meesha Shafi harassment case set for hearing. An automatic notice case concerning the private use of the Islamabad Convention Centre, raised by former judge Qazi Faez Isa, is also scheduled.
Other notable cases include petitions for the disqualification of lawmakers with foreign business interests or assets, a request to ban marriages between government officials and foreign nationals, and challenges to legislation passed by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government. A suo motu notice regarding the overseas bank accounts of Pakistanis will also be addressed.
Moreover, a petition by Mohammad Ali Durrani seeking the repatriation of laundered money from abroad will be heard, alongside cases concerning the jurisdiction of Gilgit-Baltistan courts and various applications related to energy projects by Khawaja Asif.
