ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Full Court meeting focused on measures to reduce case backlog and enhance judicial efficiency, as currently 59,191 cases are pending.
The Full Court meeting was held on Monday in the Supreme Court under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi. It was attended by all the judges including Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, who participated through video link.
The meeting was convened to assess the performance of the Supreme Court in the institution and disposal of cases, focusing on measures to reduce case backlog and enhance judicial efficiency. The Registrar, Jazeela Aslam, provided an overview of the current caseload and outlined the steps toward timely decision of cases.
She presented updated statistics, indicating that 59,191 cases are currently pending and introduced a newly-devised one-month plan based on Case Management Plan 2023, prepared by Justice Mansoor. The plan includes setting clear standards, employing information technology to effectively manage all categories of cases.
Reviewing the Case Management Plan, the judges discussed a range of strategies to achieve the plan’s targets. Criminal and civil cases, as detailed in the monthly plan, were allocated to specialised two-and three-member benches to ensure swift and speedy case resolution. Honourable judges contributed valuable insights and recommendations for further system improvement, underscoring their commitment to addressing case backlog.
Justice Mansoor offered additional suggestions aimed at reducing the case backlog and improving procedural efficiency initially for one month and followed by three-month and six-month plans. The chief justice thanked all the judges for their resolve to implement the Case Management Plan in full, with a commitment to achieve the outlined targets. Progress will be reviewed in the next session of the Full Court meeting scheduled for 2 December 2024.
The full court session was called to address various judicial matters, including the concerns and reservations expressed by some judges.
CJP Afridi, after assuming the office, called the Full Court meeting. He had also reconstituted the Practice and Procedure Committee, with Justice Munib Akhtar reinstated as a member.
Previously, Justice Mansoor and other senior judges had been asking former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa to convene a full court meeting, especially in light of the recently promulgated Practice and Procedure Amendment Ordinance. Unfortunately, the session could not be called.
Chief Justice Afridi formally started hearing cases from Monday.
Justice Afridi took the oath of office as the 30th Chief Justice of Pakistan in a swearing-in ceremony at the President’s House on October 26. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024