ISLAMABAD – On Friday, the Supreme Court declared the Supreme Court (Review of Judgments and Orders) Act 2023 as against the constitution
Supreme Court Rejects Review of Judgements Law
The decision has severely impacted the hopes of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif and IPP leader Jahangir Tareen.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, at the forefront of the Supreme Court, accompanied by Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, proclaimed the extensively discussed Supreme Court (Review of Judgments and Orders) Act 2023 as lacking in constitutionality. This verdict arrives as a sharp blow for the pair who were relying on contesting their lifelong disqualifications using this legislation.
Following a rigorous lawful conflict stretching over six sessions from June 7 to June 19, the trio of adjudicators issued its ultimate decision, having kept it in abeyance since June 19. The judgment trails a variety of pleas, particularly from Ghulam Mohiuddin, Zaman Khan Vardak, the Jurists Institution advocated by CEO Riaz Hanif Rahi, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), all challenging the lawfulness of the statute.
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Making the final decision public on this day, the Supreme Court declared that the statute held no lawful significance and labeled it as “unconstitutional.” The tribunal additionally expressed that the legislative body lacked authority to pass such a law.
Review of Judgements Law
On May 5th, amidst a heated conflict with the legal system, the legislative body witnessed the approval of an important legislation. Revealed via an extra agenda item, Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, a reliable supporter of PML-N’s main leader Nawaz Sharif, assumed responsibility for introducing the legislation to the assembly. With a prevailing vote of 32-21, the assembly swiftly authorized its immediate deliberation.
The administration’s story portrayed the legislation as a way to strengthen and energize the Supreme Court’s influence in assessing judgments and orders. Nevertheless, a group of opposing voices within the dissenting faction saw this legal tactic as a deliberate attempt to overturn the barring of PML-N’s prominent figure Nawaz Sharif.
The request aimed to expand the scope of the highest court as clearly stated in Article 188 of the Constitution. This article empowers the supreme court to reexamine any decision and guarantee the essential right to fairness by establishing a substantial review of decisions and decrees issued by the SC while utilizing its primary authority according to Article 184(3).