Islamabad:
Despite an increase in the number of judges, the pendency in the Supreme Court could not be reduced substantially, since the number of pending cases increased since February when six judges were elevated to the Apex court, according to the data available on the website of the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The data showed that 57,089 cases were pending as of August 6, despite the fact that seven judges have been appointed in the last six months. Currently, the Apex court does not work with full force due to summer holidays, and Pepferency is increasing day by day; 56,892 cases were pending last week.
When the president of the Supreme Court (CJ) Yahya Afridi assumed the position, 59,435 cases were pending in the Apex court, which later included 16 permanent judges and two ad hoc. Subsequently, six new judges were appointed in February, followed by the elevation of a Judge of the Superior Court of Lahore to the Apex court in April.
Despite these seven new appointments, Pepferency has not been substantially reduced. In March, 55,702 cases were pending, which have now increased to more than 57,000. However, it is also a fact that 60,507 cases were pending in September last year, showing a slight improvement over time.
CJ Afridi has accelerated the elimination of criminal cases, particularly those involving death sentences. A lawyer commented that if the pendency is reduced by 3,000 cases every year, then in the next three years, the general reduction will be substantial.
There may be several reasons for the lack of a substantial reduction in the pendency. One of them is that the Supreme Court has remained visibly divided since the approval of the 26th constitutional amendment.
A complete judicial meeting held on October 28 of last year had adopted the 2023 case management plan, the creation of Judge Mansoor Ali Shah, to address the growing request for orders. However, it is known that this plan is no longer followed.
Constitutional banks, created after the 26th, have consumed a lot of time that they listen to cases related to the military trials of civilians, the transfer of judges to the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) and the allocation of reserved seats.
These constitutional banks have not yet issued detailed judgments in these three crucial cases, whose results have significantly impacted the independence of the Judiciary, fundamental rights and democracy in the country.
Two minority judges have issued detailed opinions in the cases of the military courts, but the detailed majority verdict is still expected.
