ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court today returned the petition challenging the lifetime disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. The Registrar of the Supreme Court raised some objections on the petition and refused to entertain it.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon has filed the petition challenging lifetime disqualification of legislators.
In the objections, the SC Registrar said a larger bench of the apex court had already settled the matter and a petition seeking review of the verdict given by the bench has also be dismissed.
The Registrar further said that once the Supreme Court gives a verdict in a matter, a new petition cannot be filed against it.
SCBA President Ahsan Bhoon has stated in his petition that the court couldn’t assume responsibilities of a trial court under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution. This article doesn’t give right to appeal against a court verdict, which negates the principle of even-handed justice, he added.
He said the apex court defined the parameters for the use of Article 62(1)(f) in its verdicts. He suggested that an election challenged under this article be set aside only.
The SCBA president further proposed that the penalty of life disqualification be handed only in election matters.
The Supreme Court had disqualified former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen under Article 62(1)(f).
The article stipulates that a person cannot be qualified as a member of the national or provincial legislatures if he is not ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’.
