Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has defended his decision to remove Justice Munib Akhtar from a committee formed under the recently enacted Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Amendment Ordinance 2024. This ordinance allows the CJP to nominate judges for committees responsible for constituting benches.
On September 20, the CJP appointed Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan to the committee instead of Justice Munib, leading Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah to question the lack of justification for Justice Munib’s removal and the choice of the fourth senior-most judge over the next senior-most judge, Justice Yahya Afridi. Justice Mansoor criticized the decision as undemocratic and contrary to the principles of collegiality in the judiciary.
In response, CJP Isa accused Justice Mansoor of making unfounded allegations and explained that his decision was based on 11 reasons, emphasizing that he is committed to accountability and transparency. He highlighted Justice Munib’s opposition to the new legislation that reduces the chief justice’s dominance, his neglect of backlog cases while on vacation, and his inappropriate conduct in committee meetings.
The CJP further cited Justice Munib’s refusal to hear urgent cases and his selective case handling as additional reasons for the removal. He noted that Justice Munib had also exhibited disrespect towards ad hoc judges and had been rude to committee members. Overall, CJP Isa justified his decision as necessary for improving the efficiency and fairness of the judiciary.
