The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the petitions against the Practice and Procedure Act, and sustained the law with a majority of 10-5.
A full court bench comprising 15 judges, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, pronounced the judgment that was reserved earlier in the day after five consecutive hearings. The law was deemed in accordance with the Constitution.
According to the verdict, the right to appeal will not apply retroactively. The clause seeking application of the right to appeal on past decisions has been voided with an 8-7 majority, while the chief justice dissented from the decision.
The right to appeal in decisions of suo motu cases under Article 184(3) has been sustained with a 6-9 majority.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazahar Naqvi, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, and Justice Ayesha Malik were among the dissenters of the 10-5 verdict.
With this decision, the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act stands enforced.
The Supreme Court had reserved its decision on the applications against the Practice and Procedure Act. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa said if a consensus is reached, the verdict will be pronounced, otherwise it will be reserved.
The Supreme Court has resumed the hearing of multiple petitions against the Practice and Procedure Act for the fourth consecutive day. A full court bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is hearing the petitions.
