Not Chief Justice but government to appoint Superior Court Judges, Bill prepared

Not Chief Justice but government to appoint Superior Court Judges, Bill prepared

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges (PCAJ) has finalised a bill that will give complete authority to parliament to appoint superior court judges instead of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP).

“The bill has been finalised and it may soon be presented by the government in parliament,” Senator Farooq Naek, who is head of a subcommittee of the PCAJ, told Dawn. He said his committee had completed its report and handed it over to the law minister a couple of months ago.

“The committee has unanimously approved the draft bill and urged the government to present it as a government bill so that it can be passed smoothly,” he said.

Mr Naek said the lawyers’ community had serious reservations over the present modus operandi and wanted all stakeholders, including the government, president, prime minister, judiciary and bars, on board over appointment of judges of superior courts.