Induction of Justice Abbasi and Justice Najafi to the Supreme Court

  • The JCP convened on Thursday, with the CJP and all members present.
  • Following these recent nominations, the constitutional bench now has a strength of 15 judges.
  • Sources indicate that PTI members abstained from voting for the two judges.

ISLAMABAD: With the approval of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), Justice Aqeel Abbasi and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi have been appointed as additional judges to the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench.

The commission, under the leadership of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, convened at the Supreme Court on Thursday to deliberate on the nomination of these two justices for the Constitutional Bench. All members were present at the meeting.

According to an official statement from the Supreme Court, Justice Abbasi and Justice Najafi were nominated for the constitutional bench by a majority vote during the meeting. Following these nominations, the bench’s strength has risen to 15.

Information suggests that Justice Abbassi received eight votes in favor of his nomination to the constitutional bench, while Justice Najafi received two votes.

Sources further reveal that Barrister Gohar Ali and Barrister Senator Ali Zafar, representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) within the commission, chose not to vote in support of the two nominated judges.

Reportedly, the PTI members insisted on establishing rules before judges are inducted into the constitutional bench. Additionally, the PTI representatives proposed Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Athar Minallah, and Justice Shahid Waheed based on their seniority.

In related news, a full court meeting also took place at the Supreme Court on Thursday, presided over by CJP Afridi. The meeting addressed recommendations from the Pakistan Bar Council concerning the enrolment of former high court judges as Supreme Court advocates, matters related to the right to access information, the asset declaration process, and the draft Supreme Court Rules, 2025. Appropriate directives were issued following these discussions.

All judges offered their candid and valuable insights during the meeting. The forum particularly acknowledged the work of the Supreme Court Rules Amendment Committee and the registrar’s office.

The participants unanimously agreed to schedule the next full court meeting soon to further support the ongoing reform process within the Supreme Court.