ISLAMABAD: Newly appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi has announced that Supreme Court proceedings will be live-streamed to the public. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and allow broader access to court activities, enabling overseas Pakistanis to follow their cases in real-time.
The live-streaming service will be available in all Supreme Court courtrooms, pending consent from the parties involved to ensure the confidentiality of female litigants. Justice Afridi has assigned Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar to oversee the implementation of this arrangement. Previously, only Courtroom No. 1 offered live-streaming.
In addition, CJP Afridi has called for a full court meeting on October 28. Following his appointment, the Supreme Court’s website has been updated to reflect Justice Afridi as the Chief Justice, with Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah listed as the next senior-most judge.
Justice Yahya Afridi took the oath of office as the 30th Chief Justice of Pakistan on Saturday, administered by President Asif Zardari in a ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad, attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, along with other apex court judges.
He will serve a three-year term in this top judicial position, following the recent 26th constitutional amendment.
Who is Justice Yahya Afridi?
Justice Afridi began his legal career as an advocate in the high court in 1990 and became a Supreme Court advocate in 2004. He previously served as the Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as Federal Counsel for the government of Pakistan.
He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Peshawar High Court in 2010 and confirmed as a permanent judge on March 15, 2012. Notably, he became the first judge from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to assume the role of Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court on December 30, 2016, before his elevation to the Supreme Court on June 28, 2018.
