SC adopts Supreme Court Rules 2025

Islamabad: In the 156th Full Court meeting, the Supreme Court of Pakistan unanimously approved the new Supreme Court Rules 2025, which Chief Justice Yahya Afridi described as a milestone in strengthening the institutional framework of the judiciary.

According to an official statement issued by the Supreme Court, the meeting was held at the Supreme Court building under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi.

The meeting was attended by the honorable judges of the Supreme Court, including: Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, Justice Shahid Bilal, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Shakeel Ahmed, Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb.

According to the Supreme Court’s official website, the Court currently comprises 23 judges in addition to the Chief Justice, meaning 4 judges did not attend the meeting. These judges — Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Ayesha Malik — had previously expressed reservations about the approval of the rules via circulation and declined to participate in the Full Court meeting.

The official statement further noted that the Chief Justice welcomed the attendees and appreciated the efforts of the committee formed to review the Supreme Court Rules 1980. He lauded the comprehensive work of the committee, which was prepared with input from judges and the legal community, resulting in a thorough draft of the 2025 Rules.

Justice Shahid Waheed, Chairman of the Rules Committee, briefed the Full Court on the contents and formulation of the rules.

After detailed deliberation, the Full Court unanimously agreed that the Supreme Court Rules 2025 constitute a “living document”, subject to periodic review and necessary amendments to stay aligned with evolving needs and expectations.

The Full Court also discussed proposed revisions to judicial fees and securities, but postponed implementation to allow for further feedback from judges, lawyers, and other stakeholders.

Chief Justice Yahya Afridi stated that this development marks a significant step forward in building a dynamic, accountable, and modern judicial framework in Pakistan.

The statement reiterated that the four judges who did not attend the meeting had already expressed strong concerns over the circulation-based approval process of the rules. In their letter to Chief Justice Afridi, they maintained that the issues they had raised “have been reiterated multiple times”, and hence, they chose to boycott the Full Court session scheduled for September 3, 2025.

The letter emphasized that while the Full Court meeting was called to deliberate amendments to the Supreme Court Rules 2025, their fundamental objections to the process remained unaddressed.