NA approves Bill to clip CJP's suo motu powers

Islambad: The National Assembly on Wednesday approved the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 in a bid to clip the suo motu powers of the chief justice of the top court. 

The bill was introduced by Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari commented on the bill, calling it a "judges empowerment" bill and stating that it was "too little and too late".

Tarar responded by noting that a constitutional amendment was not needed, as Article 191 of the Constitution empowers the Assembly to legislate. He also mentioned that the bill had been an old demand of the bar councils, aimed at stopping the indiscriminate use of 184(3).

The bill's aim was to make apex court proceedings transparent and it also included the right to appeal. Tarar emphasized that all institutions had to follow laws passed by Parliament, and quoted Article 191 of the Constitution to support his argument.

Amendments to the bill were proposed by North Waziristan MNA Mohsin Dawar and were accepted. The government was praised for introducing the bill by Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz, who stated that it would ensure the freedom of the judiciary and rule of law.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif insisted that Parliament was not taking over the powers of the Supreme Court, but rather legislating as per its constitutional right. Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor also supported the bill, stating that Parliament was a sovereign institution and its members had the right to legislate as representatives of the people.

The law minister thanked the members of the NA Standing Committee on Law and Justice for their input on the bill, and after the bill was passed, the session was adjourned.