ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial formed a five-member larger bench to address petitions regarding the inquiry commission investigating audio leaks involving judges.
The bench, led by CJP Bandial and consisting of Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Shahid Waheed, will hold a hearing on the case on Friday at 11 am.
Last week, the federal government established a high-powered judicial commission, headed by Supreme Court Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to investigate the audio leaks related to the judiciary.
The commission has been given 30 days to complete the inquiry.
Read more: Justice Isa says Audio Leaks Probe Publicly
Meanwhile, commission’s scope includes examining the authenticity of an alleged call between former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and a sitting top court judge, as well as another call between CM Elahi and a Supreme Court lawyer regarding the formation of a Supreme Court bench.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan criticized the government for the exclusion of the terms of reference (TORs) and challenged the formation of the three-member judicial commission on audio leaks.
However, the PTI chief’s lawyer and party leader Babar Awan filed a plea on his behalf, urging the court to declare the commission’s notification null and void.
Read also: Babar Awan Slams Govt’s Audio Leak Probe
Additionally, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Abid Zubairi also challenged the audio leaks commission, receiving a summons to appear before the panel in connection with the inquiry.
Hence, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that the government did not consult CJP Bandial before establishing the commission.
Recently, the Justice Isa-led commission announced that the inquiry proceedings would be made public. The commission held its first hearing in courtroom number 7 of the Supreme Court earlier this week.
Leave a Reply