In the Practice and Procedure Act case being heard by the full court,tensions escalated when Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa reprimanded JusticeEjazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar for their persistent questioningduring the proceedings and urged them to refrain from further queries.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Justice Munib attempted to pose a question tolawyer Faisal Siddiqui, but Chief Justice Isa promptly intervened,asserting, “I believe the counsel is entitled to present their argumentsfreely,” 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. Heencouraged the lawyer to continue, highlighting the risk of the hearingsnever concluding if interruptions persisted.
Justice Munib interjected to defend his right to pose questions, statingfirmly, “I’m sorry, this is not a matter of forming an opinion. This is amatter of my entitlement as a judge of the Supreme Court sitting on thisbench to ask questions.”
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In response, Justice Isa suggested that questions could be posed after thelawyer completed presenting his arguments. However, Justice Munibpersisted, expressing his dissatisfaction, “If I am constantly interrupted,I must say, sir, that it is not appropriate.” He further emphasized thatwhether the counsel chose to respond to the question was a matter for thelawyer to decide, not the judge’s concern.
On a separate note, Justice Ejazul Hassan conveyed his intention to ask aquestion to lawyer Faisal Siddiqui. In this regard, Chief Justice Qazi FaizIsa advised the lawyer not to address every question but rather toconcentrate on presenting his arguments.