News Desk

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23: Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faiz
Isa has expressed his reservations over the formation of a larger bench
which will hear the presidential reference that seeks interpretation of
Article 63-A.

According to details, Justice Isa on Wednesday wrote a letter to Chief
Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial in which he expressed his
reservations over the formation of the larger bench. He raised some
questions.

Justice Isa objected that since the entire nation’s eyes were on the
presidential reference, but no consultation was held with the senior
judges of the apex court before formation of the bench. Moreover, the
senior judges have been ignored and they have not been made part of the
bench, the epistle read.

It further said that rules were not followed and judges who were on the
4th, 8th and 13th number in the seniority list were included in the
larger bench. Where the legal and constitutional affairs are involved,
senior judges are be included in the bench, the letter said.

Justice Isa sent the copy of the letter to the attorney general of
Pakistan, Supreme Court Bar Association president, SC judges and
advocate generals of all provinces.

In the letter, Justice Isa also objected to the appointment of a civil
servant as registrar of the court. In my view, the registrar’s
appointment is illegal, he wrote in letter.

He said he thought twice before writing this letter.

He said the Supreme Court had clubbed together the presidential
reference and the SCBA application. But they could not be clubbed
together and the apex court should hear them separately. The SCBA
application has been filed under Article 184/3 while the presidential
reference is consultative, the letter added.