Justice Qazi Faez Isa admits SC made some mistakes

Admitting that the Supreme Court (SC) had made some mistakes, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa, however, said that did not mean that one started shouting abuses at the judges, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

Addressing a full-court reference at the start of a new judicial year in the Supreme Court (SC), the CJP said, “You have every right to disagree with decisions, but calling judges names is bad.”

However, at the same time, he went on to say, the apex court gave many good decisions as well. “We will bring more improvements in the country’s judicial system,” he vowed.

“Right now the Shariat Court and the Federal Judicial Academy are functioning.”  

He said that the apex court heard late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s (ZAB) reference and declared that the verdict given against him was wrong.

“It was during my tenure as the chief justice that a judge was removed from the post because of ‘misconduct’,” Justice Isa said, adding, “On the other hand, there were no grounds for the removal of one of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges, and the SC declared his removal null and void.”

The chief justice said that the officers who had been appointed in the apex court on deputation were sent back because they interfered in fixing cases for the hearing. “They also hinder the promotion of SC employees,” he added.  

Justice Isa said that earlier the chief justice had to approve the cause list. “But not anymore.”

He said that earlier people could predict what would be the court’s decision by looking at the bench’s composition, adding every judge has an ‘inclination’.

The CJP said that similarly, every lawyer desired that his case should be heard by the judge of his choice. “This does not mean that he has links with that judge,” he clarified.

He said the first case whose hearing by the apex court was broadcast live was that of the Practice and Procedure Act. “A full court had heard that case,” he recalled.  

He went on to say that it was following a verdict in that case that some of the powers were taken away from the chief justice and were given to three judges. “Now even I have no idea who would be on the bench and who would be not.”

Two senior SC judges namely Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Muneeb Akhtar and one ad hoc judge Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel did not attend the reference.

However, two Shariat Court judges, Justice Qibla Ayaz and Justice Khalid Masood, were present on the occasion.