Bill for increasing Supreme Court judges' strength to 21 tabled in Senate

Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir tabled a bill seeking an amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1997 to increase the number of judges in the top court.

The independent lawmaker from Balochistan presented the bill titled ‘Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Act 2024’ to address the issue of pending cases.  He sought an increase in the number of top court judges from 17 to 21.

According to the bill, the number of top court judges other than the chief justice will be 20. It states: "The Supreme Court has four jurisdictions original, appellate, advisory, and review being diverse and demanding, contributing to the continuous accumulation of cases.

"With economic growth and social changes, the complexity and variety of cases have increased.

"This backlog, combined with the complexities of integrating the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, necessitates more judicial resources."

Senator Qadir called for appointing at least 16 judges to the top court, saying that several constitutional matters were being referred to the top court.

"Larger benches are formed and these judges look into the constitutional matters," he added.

Not only constitutional cases, but several cases related to financial matters worth billions were also pending in the top court as it does not have time to hear these cases, the senator claimed.

"Our judicial system is lowest on the global ranking," he added.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar also backed the legislation and suggested forwarding the new bill to the relevant committee.

The opposition shouted slogans of ‘No No’, opposing the bill.

The house also witnessed cross-talk by the lawmakers from both sides of the benches.

Azam Nazir Tarar said pending cases add to the public woes, saying an inmate served thirty years while the life term is 24 years.

He said a draft was presented and the opposition protested without reading it.

Senator Saifullah said there is a 'background for suddenly increasing the number of judges'.

The PTI had to get reserved seats for which all this is being done, he said, adding that the top court order on reserved seats must be implemented first.

A few days ago, the government introduced a significant piece of legislation seeking an increase in the number of apex court judges, citing a growing backlog of cases as a reason.

The bill was submitted by the PML-N MNA Daniyal Chaudhry to the National Assembly Secretariat, stating the increase had been rendered deemed necessary to ensure the timely hearing and resolution of cases.

It was argued in the bill that the appointment of additional judges with expertise in specialized fields, such as cybercrime, environmental laws, and global trade, will contribute to more accurate and informed decision-making.

"By appointing judges with expertise in different fields, correct decision-making will be possible," the text states.

Moreover, the legislation emphasized that the expansion of the bench would rid judges of unnecessary pressure.

Reporter: Usman Khan