ISLAMABAD – Following the issue of the bench powers case not being scheduled for hearing despite a judicial order, Supreme Court Additional Registrar Judicial Nazar Abbas was removed from his position.
According to the report, a notification was issued by Additional Registrar Admin Pervez Iqbal, stating that Nazar Abbas has been made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
The notification was issued after approval from the Supreme Court Registrar and directed Nazar Abbas to report to the Registrar’s Office until further orders.
The statement from the Supreme Court clarified that the Registrar was instructed to investigate the matter. The case related to the Customs Act was meant to be scheduled before a constitutional bench but was mistakenly listed before the regular bench.
The statement further noted that as a result, time and resources of both the institution and the parties involved were wasted. Once the serious oversight was realized, the Judicial Branch referred the matter to the Practice and Procedure Act’s regular committee through a note.
The statement mentioned that, considering the gravity of the mistake, a meeting was held on January 17, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. The committee observed that under Articles 191A, Sections 3 and 5 of the Constitution of Pakistan, such cases fall within the jurisdiction of the constitutional bench and no other bench has authority over them.
The committee directed that these cases be moved from the regular bench and be scheduled before the constitutional bench. In the future, all cases under Article 191A of the Constitution must be presented before the constitutional bench committee. The Regular Judges Committee also instructed the Supreme Court Registrar to expedite the review of all pending cases.
Additionally, the committee recommended that the Registrar’s Office conduct thorough scrutiny of newly filed cases to avoid such errors in the future. It was also mentioned that the constitutional bench committee held a meeting on January 17, 2025, and scheduled hearings for all cases challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment and the constitutional status of laws.
According to the statement, an 8-member constitutional bench will hear cases related to the 26th Amendment on January 27.
Today, a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, heard a contempt of court proceeding against the Additional Registrar (Judicial), though the Supreme Court Registrar, Mohammad Saleem Khan, appeared before the bench in the Additional Registrar’s absence due to illness.
The issued statement mentioned that the Supreme Court Registrar acknowledged that there was an error in the scheduling of the cases and an investigation is underway. The Registrar further clarified that the decision to remove the cases from the regular bench was not based on bad faith by the Additional Registrar but was in compliance with the regular committee’s instructions.
