The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an ally of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Monday called on the Supreme Court to issue the written judgment in the reserved seats case, bearing the signatures of all 12 judges from the constitutional bench.
The appeal comes after the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench, by a narrow 7–5 majority, accepted review petitions and ruled that the PTI was not entitled to seats reserved for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.
On June 27, the verdict was announced by a 10-member bench led by Justice Aminuddin Khan. The bench had initially comprised 13 judges, but two—Justice Ayesha A Malik and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi—dismissed the review petitions on the first day of hearings. Meanwhile, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar recused himself from the proceedings for undisclosed reasons.
While delivering the short order, Justice Aminuddin Khan declared: “Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Mussarat Hilali, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Aamir Farooq, and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi—all review petitions are allowed. The impugned majority judgment dated July 12, 2024, is set aside, and the civil appeals filed by SIC are dismissed, thus restoring the judgment of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).”
In its petition, filed by Barrister Hamid Khan, the SIC argued that the Supreme Court’s May 6 order had stated that dissenting opinions would also be part of the final judgment. The SIC noted that the short order issued on June 27 did not carry the signatures of Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.
The petition further stated that this matter directly involves fundamental rights and public interest, and having a judgment signed by all 12 judges would carry greater legal weight.
Separately, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja also wrote to the Supreme Court registrar, requesting the release of the final order signed by all 12 judges. His letter highlighted that the June 27 short order included signatures of only 10 judges, and argued that Justice Salahuddin Panhwar’s recusal made it mandatory for the remaining 12 judges to sign.
Raja also pointed out that Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail issued a dissenting note, while Justices Mazhar and Hasan Azhar expressed separate views. He requested the registrar to provide certified copies of the individual opinions of each judge on the bench.
