Daily Times

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has reserved the verdict to decide admissibility of an application against Practice and Procedure Ordinance. LHC CJ Miss Aalia Neelum heard the case against Practice and Procedure Ordinance 2024. During the hearing, CJ inquired from the petitioner’s lawyer about the ground on which this ordinance had been labelled unlawful. Lawyer responded that there was no such emergency situation that arose the need to table this ordinance. The Assembly was present still the ordinance was tabled and a new committee was formed after the ordinance. The Practice and Procedure Act was presented earlier but that time chief justice had all the powers. Federal government lawyer raised objections to the application against the Practice and Procedure Ordinance, during the hearing. He informed the court that the Practice and Procedure Ordinance had already been challenged in the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court (SHC). The SHC had reserved the verdict on the application against the ordinance, he added. Federal government’s lawyer requested the LHC to reject this application against the ordinance. Consequently, the LHC had reserved judgment on the application to decide its admissibility. President Asif Zardart signed the Practice and Procedure Amendment Ordinance, and the ordinance had been issued. Under the amendment to the Act, the chief justice of Pakistan can nominate a judge in case of unavailability of a committee member. The Act provided that the chief justice of Pakistan will constitute a three-member committee “comprising the Chief Justice of Pakistan and two next most senior Judges, in order of seniority” to hear “every cause, appeal or matter before the Supreme Court.” Under the ordinance, transcripts and recordings of judicial proceedings will be available to the public. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Azhar Siddique on Saturday challenged it in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The federal government and others have been made respondents in the petition. It has been argued in the petition that the presidential ordinance was based on mala fide intention. It said that the apex court had given its verdict on the Practice and Procedure Act, adding that powers of the SC couldn’t be changed through the ordinance. The applicant pleaded that the court should nullify the ordinance and stop any action taken under the act until final verdict by the court. Sindh PTI President Haleem Adil Sheikh filed a constitutional petition in the SHC contending that the ordinance was a “clear violation of the judgment of the Supreme Court.”