Unfortunate incident: Infighting reported in SC Judges with CJP Qazi Faiz Isa
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In the Practice and Procedure Act case being heard by the full court, tensions escalated when Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa reprimanded Justice Ejazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar for their persistent questioning during the proceedings and urged them to refrain from further queries.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Justice Munib attempted to pose a question to lawyer Faisal Siddiqui, but Chief Justice Isa promptly intervened, asserting, "I believe the counsel is entitled to present their arguments freely," and expressing his desire to hear from the lawyer.
Nevertheless, the chief justice subsequently emphasized that the judges' viewpoints could be incorporated into the judgment at a later stage. He encouraged the lawyer to continue, highlighting the risk of the hearings never concluding if interruptions persisted.
Justice Munib interjected to defend his right to pose questions, stating firmly, "I'm sorry, this is not a matter of forming an opinion. This is a matter of my entitlement as a judge of the Supreme Court sitting on this bench to ask questions."
In response, Justice Isa suggested that questions could be posed after the lawyer completed presenting his arguments. However, Justice Munib persisted, expressing his dissatisfaction, "If I am constantly interrupted, I must say, sir, that it is not appropriate." He further emphasized that whether the counsel chose to respond to the question was a matter for the lawyer to decide, not the judge's concern.
On a separate note, Justice Ejazul Hassan conveyed his intention to ask a question to lawyer Faisal Siddiqui. In this regard, Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa advised the lawyer not to address every question but rather to concentrate on presenting his arguments.
