Larger bench formed to take up Arshad Sharif’s killing case

A three-judge committee under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 formed a larger bench to take up Arshad Sharif’s killing case, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Thursday.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandukhel will head the five-judge bench consisting of Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Hasan Azhar and Justice Athar Minullah.

The bench will hear the case on the availability of judges, sources said.

Earlier in the ongoing week, the Supreme Court referred the case back to the three-judge committee to re-fix it before a five-judge bench.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, who was heading a three-judge bench, noted that the case had been fixed before the smaller bench even though a five-judge larger bench had heard it earlier.

Since Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar were also members of the larger bench earlier, he observed that the case would be fixed for hearing subject to the availability of the two judges.

Former CJ Umar Ata Bandial initiated the suo motu proceedings into the tragic killing of the journalist in Kenya in 2022.