Work schedule of vacation benches challenged

For the last but one more week to go, the work schedule drawn for the Supreme Court benches has been changed and now there will be only one full bench functioning here instead of a division strength for the period.
The composition of the bench has also been changed as against the one drawn at the start of the three-month vacations in June last and two of the three newly elevated judges will sit with a senior judge for the period.
The new bench notified in the cause list for the next judicial week on Saturday will consist of Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, Justice Shakirullah Jan and Justice Javed Buttar.
Previously Justice Baghwandas and Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi were to form the last bench of the vacation period. The Supreme Court is to resume its normal functioning here from September 6.
The last vacation bench has about 74 cases listed for hearings during the next five-day judicial week starting from Monday. Most of those pertain to service matters of the federal and provincial governments and also of the public sector corporations.
There are a couple of appeals in criminal cases either seeking bail or a review of sentences or acquittals.
An appeal of the Allama Iqbal Open University against the levy of customs duty on certain imports it had made years ago is fixed for Aug 24 promises to attract some lively discussion as it relates to a fixed-period concession.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court officials said Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui has not so far decided on the suggestion to revive the tradition of starting the new judicial year with a formal ceremony.
The judicial year of the Supreme Court starts with the first working day after the summer vacations and the last time it was held during the reign of Chief Justice Saeeduzaman Siddiqui some four years ago.
At a farewell function, organised by the Saarc law chapter for Pakistan for Justice Mian Muhammad Ajmal recently, some senior lawyers had suggested the tradition should be revived.
They said it not only helped review the performance of the bar and the bench during the closing year, but also provided an occasion for suggestions from both sides for improving the roles.