SC resumes hearing Punjab, KP polls delay suo motu case

Islamabad: A five-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) Tuesday resumed its hearing on the suo motu notice case to the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial comprises Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Shah and Justice Mandokhail is hearing the case. 

On Monday, the nine-member larger bench of the Supreme Court hearing the suo moto notice was reconstituted after four judges excused themselves from hearing the case. 

The judges who recused themselves were Justice Ejaz ul Ahsan and Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Yahya.

A written order on the SC’s website included dissenting notes of Justice Minallah, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Afridi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail.

Following this, a new five-member bench was formed. 

In the previous hearing, Chief Justice said that the parliament has clearly written in the Elections Act, 2017, that the president can announce the date for polls, adding that the hearing will be wrapped up today (February 27). 

Umar Ata Bandiyal remarked that the bench will also hear the presidents of Supreme Court Bar and Islamabad High Court Bar on Tuesday. 

It is pertinent to note that a two-member bench of the Supreme Court had sent the matter to the Chief Justice for suo moto notice in the Ghulam Mahmood Dogar case on February 16. On which the Court had taken suo moto notice and formed a nine-member bench.