Judicial Commission Extends Supreme Court Bench Tenure

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has prolonged the term of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench until November 30, 2025, stated an official announcement from the apex court.

The decision occurred during a JCP assembly at the Supreme Court premises in Islamabad. The session was presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.

According to the announcement, the JCP convened on Thursday for a pair of meetings to address issues pertaining to the constitutional benches of the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court, alongside judicial performance assessments.

During the initial session, the JCP sanctioned the extension of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench until November 30, 2025. The commission also addressed a policy decision under Article 175A(20) of the Constitution regarding the yearly performance review of high court justices.

Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee

“As a component of this undertaking, the JCP chairperson established a comprehensive committee featuring representatives from the judiciary, parliament, executive branch, and the legal sector to formulate regulations for judicial performance evaluations,” the statement specified.

During the subsequent session, the primary judicial authority, through a majority vote, extended the duration of the constitutional benches of the Sindh High Court (SHC) for a period of six months, beginning July 23, 2025.

Concurrent with these adjustments, Justices Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry and Jaffar Raza were designated to substitute Justices Agha Faisal and Sana Akram Minhas.

Supreme Court Ruling on Judge Transfers

In another development, the Supreme Court, on Thursday, rejected appeals opposing the relocation of judges from three high courts to the Islamabad High Court, asserting their constitutionality and affirming that Justice Sarfraz Dogar can persist as the acting chief justice of the IHC.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, who presided over the five-member constitutional bench, delivered the verdict. The bench was reviewing petitions submitted by five IHC judges, the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), the IHC Bar Association, and various other parties challenging the movement of Justice Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from the Sindh High Court, and Justice Muhammad Asif from the Balochistan High Court. These three justices were among those reassigned to the IHC.

The bench also includes Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Shahid Bilal Hassan, Salahuddin Panhwar, and Shakeel Ahmed.