Justice Aminuddin Khan to head new constitutional bench in SC

Published at: November 6, 2024 6:18 AM

ISLAMABAD: In its maiden session on Tuesday, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) — reconstituted under the 26th Amendment — appointed Justice Aminuddin Khan as head of the seven-judge constitutional bench by a majority vote of seven to five, with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi among the dissenting members.

The seven-judge constitutional bench includes representatives from all four provinces: Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Ayesha A. Malik from Punjab, Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Naeem Akhtar Afghan from Balochistan, Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Hassan Azhar Rizvi from Sindh, and Justice Musarrat Hilali from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Justice Aminuddin, who ranks fourth in seniority among Supreme Court judges, will lead the bench.

Those in the minority were CJP Yahya Afridi, senior puisne judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, PTI leaders of the opposition in the Senate and the National Assembly Shibli Faraz and Omar Ayub.

The members in majority were Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, MNA Sheikh Aftab Ahmad, Roshan Khursheed Bharucha and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) representative Akhtar Hussain.

The nomination for the constitutional bench is set for a period of 60 days as per legislation passed by parliament on Monday night that increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 34.