SC reveals special arrangements during hearing of plea against 26th Amendments

Supreme Court of Pakistan has announced special arrangements for the hearing of the 26th Constitutional Amendment case scheduled to take place on January 27, reported 24NewsHDTV channel. 

According to an official statement, the hearing on key amendments will be held in Court Room No. 2, with enhanced security measures to ensure the safety of all attendees. To manage the limited capacity of the court room, special passes will be issued to authorised individuals, including lawyers and journalists. For those without passes, alternative arrangements have been made, including audio facilities in Court Rooms No. 6 and 7. The use of mobile phones within the court room will be strictly prohibited. 

SC’s Constitutional Bench is set to hear a set of pleas challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment and demanding the top court to strike down the same. The Constitutional Bench headed by Justice Aminud din Khan and comprising Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi Justice Musarrat Hilali will hear the petitions. 

The petitioners contest the validity of the constitutional benches, claiming that the SC ought to rule that all revisions that required the votes of members whose election issues were still pending in order to reach the required number under Article 239 were unconstitutional. The federation, government of Sindh, Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly, the Election Commission of Pakistan and others have been made respondents in the petitions.

Parliament passed the 26th Amendment on midnight of 20 and 21 under which the term for the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been fixed at three years. A 12-member parliamentary committee will select the new Chief Justice from a panel of the three most senior judges.