Bill tabled in Senate to increase number of Supreme Court judges to 21

Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir has introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill in the Senate, proposing to increase the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 21.

Lawmaker Qadir explained that the purpose of the amendment is to ensure quicker justice and to address the fifty-three thousand pending cases in the apex court. He emphasized that the amendment would significantly improve the judicial system’s efficiency.

He also noted that billions of rupees in cases have remained unresolved due to the shortage of judges in the superior court and the lack of available time.

The opposition, however, expressed concerns over the proposed amendment, arguing that it would favour the incumbent government and called it a “judiciary coup.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar advised the government to focus on reforming the lower judiciary rather than increasing the number of judges in the apex court.

Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said, “Massive reforms are being introduced in the criminal procedure code, from registration of FIR to manner of arrest and discharge, and timelines in the material and sessions trial to the use of the modern device in the law of evidence,”