ISLAMABAD, August 2(ABC): PPP Senator Farooq H Naek on Monday moved a constitutional amendment bill in the Senate, seeking to curb the powers of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) in the appointment of judges of the superior courts and give the parliamentary committee a meaningful say in the process.
Having not been opposed by the government on the private members’ day, according to The News, Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani referred the bill to the standing committee on law and justice with the direction to submit its report to the house within 15 days.
The veteran legislator, explaining the salient features of the bill in the house, said the purpose of appointing judges to the Supreme Court, the JCP presently comprises the Chief Justice of Pakistan, four judges of the Supreme Court, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, law minister, attorney general, and a senior advocate.
He pointed out that the balance was heavily tilted in the judges’ favour while the draft law proposes to exclude one of the four sitting judges to make it a seven-member panel.
Moreover, the composition of the commission for appointment of high court judges has also been proposed to be changed to reduce its total strength from 13 to 11.
Senator Naek made it clear that he would not like to speak about allegations of favouritism in the appointment of judges but pointed out that the constitution was silent on the criterion of the advocates to be named for judicial appointments.
The bill, he continued, proposes an initiation committee to propose names within 60 days after a vacancy occurs while the proposed committee should be headed by the respective judge of the high court and comprise next two senior judges, an advocate-general and a bar council member.