A full court meeting of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday reiterated to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the country and uphold rule of law and dispense justice to all without fear and favour.
The full court meeting, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was held at the Supreme Court. It observed that the national salvation lay in applying the principle of rule of law and resisting any deviation from constitution under any circumstances. The chief justice said the bench and bar relations were vital to speedy justice and it was imperative that the bar and bench left no stone unturned to ensure quick, inexpensive and substantial justice at all levels. He added that the people had great expectations from the judiciary since the restoration of an independent judiciary. The full court meeting also took stock of the present position of pending cases at the apex court. The registrar informed the meeting that disposal of cases had registered a remarkable increase due to continuous working of the judges even in summer vacations. The chief justice appreciated the commitment and devotion of all judges sitting on various benches, both at the principle seat and branch registries. He also praised them for making efforts to reduce the backlog of pending cases. The chief justice said the figure would have been much higher had the apex court not been busy in hearing many important cases.
The chief justice and other judges of the apex court also acknowledged the meritorious services rendered by Justice Javed Iqbal who is about to lay down his robes at the end of this month. The chief justice observed that one reason for convening the full court meeting was to acknowledge the contributions of Justice Javed Iqbal. The meeting also discussed the idea of the introduction of law clerkship in the Supreme Court wherein young and outstanding law graduates might be offered an opportunity to work in the court. It was decided that Justice Jawwad S Khawaja would develop the concept paper on the idea which would be shared with other judges also prior to a final decision. The full court also concluded various matters pertaining to office administration for expediting disposal of cases to provide quick relief to aggrieved persons and decide the disputes among litigant parties.
