Supreme Court bench hearing election delay case dissolved as Justice Ameen recuses himself

ISLAMABAD – A Supreme Court bench, constituted to hear a suo moto case pertaining to the delay in elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was dissolved as Justice Aminuddin Khan recused himself from hearing the high-profile case.

Initially, the bench spearheaded by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, was hearing the petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against ECP’s move to delay polls.

Justice Aminuddin Khan said “I cannot sit on the bench,” without delving into further details.

The judge of apex court referred to a ruling, authored by himself and a fellow judge, that Chief Justice did not have the authority to constitute special benches or decide its members, saying all hearings are based on suo motu notices and cases of constitutional significance.

It further maintained all cases under Article 184(3) should be postponed until further legislation. 

The recent development comes a day after the federal government approved the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 in the National Assembly, clipping the powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

More to follow…