Senate committee approves increase in number of SC judges to 25
Pakistan
JUI-F senator Kamran Murtaza raises concern about govt's possible misuse of decision
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice has approved a bill to raise the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 25 despite oppositions from the PTI and JUI-F.
Chaired by Farooq H. Naek, the committee debated the bill presented by Senator Abdul Qadir who argued that rising population and crime rates have significantly increased the case load.
The number of judges has not been changed since 1990s despite this demand, he said.
Senator Hamid Khan opposed the bill, stating that India, a country six times larger, had 34 judges and argued that internal conflicts within the SC had contributed to the delays.
Read also: Amendment bill to increase number of Supreme Court judges presented in National Assembly
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtza raised concerns that the government could use this expansion to influence judicial decisions.