Top SC Judges Object to Judicial Code Amendments

Two senior Supreme Court (SC) judges, Justice Mansoor and Justice Muneeb Akhtar, raised objections to the amendments to the Code of Conduct.

Justice Mansoor and Justice Muneeb Akhtar wrote in a letter to the Supreme Judicial Council that the amendment rules could not have been approved with the current composition. Some judges had already given their opinions on the rules in the Policy Making Committee.

Both judges have also objected to the inclusion of Justice Sarfaraz Dogar in the council. According to the letter, a letter was written before the meeting, stating that an appeal is pending on Justice Dogar’s case. Justice Dogar should have been removed and the council should have been reconstituted.

The letter further states that if the amendments are adopted, it will limit the independence of the judiciary, the 26th Amendment is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court. The future of two members of the council is also to be decided in this case.

The letter further states that the proposed amendments weaken the independence of the judiciary, limit transparency and restrict powers to one person. The amendments are also against international values. The amendments are also dangerous because their jurisdiction is vague, they can be used to suppress the voice of specific judges.

The letter also called the ban on judges speaking to the media inappropriate and said that in modern democratic societies, judges can speak to the media on reforms or judicial matters. Justice Mansoor and Justice Muneeb clarified that a judge can speak responsibly while maintaining his impartiality.