Bill Limiting CJP Powers To Become Law On 20th: Tarar

ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar made the announcement on Monday that the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, will become law on April 20. This bill aims to limit the chief justice's ability to take Suo Motu notice on an individual basis.

The national government had on April 10 gotten the SC bill passed in the joint meeting of parliament in the midst of the solid dissent from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) after President Arif Alvi had returned the bill looking to reduce the CJP's Suo Motu powers. The bill was again advanced before the president for his consent.

If the head of state does not give his approval within ten days, it would be considered to have been given, according to the constitution.

However, on April 13, a larger bench of eight members of the Supreme Court ordered that the SC bill 2023 would not be implemented in any way until further instructions were given, even if the president gave it his approval.

The law minister exclusively told Geo News that details regarding the law's implementation will be discussed in the future. The minister stated that the procedure for approving the funds has been clarified in Articles 81, 82, and 84 of the Constitution when referring to the top court's order to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to release Rs 21 billion from funds held with it to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the purpose of holding elections to the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The law minister stated that the National Assembly has the authority to approve supplementary budgets in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution.

He added, "If the amount of Rs 21 billion] is allocated without the approval of the National Assembly, it will be a violation of the Constitution." He stated that in the interest of transparency, the government had decided to move the bill to the house. He argued that the state institutions shouldn't get in the way of one another's work.

Tarar went on to say that the finance ministry and the parliament have the right to issue money, and that the SBP has nothing to do with it. The Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue's summary regarding the ECP's lack of funding was approved by the National Assembly later that day.