The Federal Constitutional Court recently set aside overreaching orders from the Sindh High Court. In a significant two-page judgment, a two-member bench ruled that provincial high courts completely lack suo motu jurisdiction under Article 199 of the Constitution. Therefore, the court officially invalidated the previous October and November 2025 orders targeting police officials.
Furthermore, the judges characterized the initial intervention as clear judicial overreach. During the legal proceedings, representatives successfully argued that the provincial court overstepped its constitutional bounds. Specifically, the high court mistakenly directed internal police reforms and monitored inquiry proceedings. Consequently, these actions disrupted standard executive and administrative functions, moving far beyond the scope of the original petitions.
The Sindh advocate general explicitly contended that the high court judge committed judicial encroachment. He firmly argued that courts must refrain from disrupting institutional policy guidelines. Fortunately, the constitutional court fully endorsed this timely position, agreeing completely with the advocate general’s formal submissions.
However, the federal bench clarified that the state will continue all ongoing inquiries. The court ordered authorities to conduct these specific criminal investigations independently and strictly in accordance with statutory law. Additionally, investigators must proceed without any negative influence from the high court’s previous observations. Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi authored the final order, explicitly directing that current investigations remain uninfluenced by irrelevant administrative directions. Ultimately, this landmark ruling successfully reinforces the legal boundaries between the judiciary and the executive branch.
