ISLAMABAD: the Supreme Court halted accountability courts from delivering final verdicts in corruption cases. This directive came during the hearing of the first-ever intra-court appeals against the majority judgment on September 15, which invalidated amendments to the accountability law.
The court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justices Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Athar Minallah, and Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, adjourned the hearing until the detailed verdict on the law limiting the chief justice’s powers is released.
The bench took up two ICAs—one filed by the federal government and the other by former SSGCL managing director Zuhair Ahmed Siddiqui. This action followed the court’s October 11 short order upholding the law regulating the affairs of the top court, the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023.
On October 26, the Supreme Court issued a circular stating that any appeal against decisions under Article 184(3) of the Constitution should be in the form of ICA.
During the hearing, the federal government requested an adjournment until the week starting November 6, citing the unavailability of its counsel. The court rejected the plea to suspend its verdict on the accountability law tweaks, emphasizing the need for the detailed verdict on the law affecting the CJP’s powers before proceeding.
