— Full court meeting attended by all judges, including Justice Mansoor Shah
— CJP Afridi expresses gratitude for judges’ insights concerning cases’ backlog
ISLAMABAD: The newly-appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi chaired his first full court meeting on Monday to address case pendency and improve judicial efficiency.
According to a statement issued by the Supreme Court, the meeting included all Supreme Court judges, with senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah participating via video link from Saudi Arabia, where he is performing Umrah.
The meeting aimed to evaluate the Supreme Court’s performance in managing and resolving cases, with a focus on reducing backlog and enhancing efficiency. The SC registrar presented an overview of the current caseload and outlined steps for timely case resolutions, revealing that 59,191 cases are pending. The registrar introduced a new one-month plan based on the Case Management Plan 2023, prepared by Justice Shah.
“The plan includes setting clear standards and utilizing information technology to manage all categories of cases effectively,” the statement noted.
During the meeting, judges reviewed the Case Management Plan and discussed various strategies to meet their targets. It was decided that criminal and civil cases would be assigned to specialized two- and three-member benches to expedite resolution.
The statement further indicated that judges provided valuable insights and recommendations for improving the system, demonstrating their commitment to tackling the backlog.
Justice Shah also proposed additional strategies aimed at reducing the backlog and enhancing procedural efficiency, with plans set for one month, three months, and six months.
At the meeting’s conclusion, the Chief Justice expressed gratitude to all judges for their commitment to fully implementing the Case Management Plan and achieving the established targets. Progress will be assessed in the next Full Court meeting scheduled for December 2, 2024.
CJP Afridi was sworn in as Pakistan’s 30th Chief Justice on October 26, succeeding Justice Qazi Faez Isa. He is the first Chief Justice appointed by a parliamentary committee consisting of both government and opposition members, following the recent passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
On his first day in office, Chief Justice Afridi reconstituted the SC Practice and Procedure Committee, reinstating Justice Munib Akhtar in the three-member panel responsible for case allocation and bench formation.
