Karachi Bar Association (KBA) on Thursday called upon Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to urgently convene a full court meeting of the apex court to discuss concrete steps that all judges are enabled to decide cases independently and restore public confidence in the judiciary.
The managing committee of KBA at a meeting, chaired by KBA President, Syed Hyder Imam Rizvi passed a resolution, which showed dismay at the resignation tendered by a well-reputed Additional District Judge of Sindh, Zamir Solangi, reportedly on account of his public humiliation at the hands of the CJP.
It believed that as a result of such public humiliation, Sindh has lost a good judicial officer and countless more have been demotivated and observed that the offence of bringing a mobile phone to the court is not one, for which termination of services would be warranted.
The KBA applauding the CJP's decision to start inspecting lower courts noted that sporadic humiliation of judicial officers on live television may improve media ratings but not judicial performance.
Sustained improvement in the performance of district courts is only possible through dedicated attention to the structural, procedural and human resources management issues that plague judiciary, resolution stated and urged that court inspections should be conducted by quietly entering the court unannounced, nothing of proceedings and in case wrongdoing is observed, directing the competent authority to take appropriate disciplinary action.
The KBA called for independent of the entire judiciary and for respect for all court proceedings and all judicial officers. Therefore, the KBA deprecated the Supreme Court's recent practice of taking up the cases pending before high courts and deciding them itself while publicly impugning the competence and integrity of high court judges and suggesting early retirement to them.
Similarly, the KBA also deplored the instructions given by CIP to all courts in Pakistan not to grant ex-parte decisions in CPEC-related matters and the assurance given by him to his Chinese hosts that entire judiciary in Pakistan support them.
The KBA observed that judiciary can neither support nor oppose any foreign powers or investment programme but merely decide cases before it according to law and stated that every judge, whether serving in civil courts of SC must do so independently as per his conscience and understanding of law and not guided by any other person - however high he may be.