Supreme Court Review of Orders and Judgments Act declared null and void, Justice Muneeb Akhtar’s additional note

Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the Supreme Court Review of Orders and Judgments Act null and void and issued a detailed decision in this regard today (Friday, August 11).

According to the media reports, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Atta Bandial, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, and Justice Muneeb Akhtar have delivered the verdict and declared the Supreme Court Review of Orders and Judgments Act null and void.

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Justice Muneeb Akhtar of Pakistan’s Supreme Court wrote an extra remark in the comprehensive opinion stating appeal and revision are not synonymous but distinct entities, and that Parliament’s law and the Supreme Court’s power to set regulations are equal. In his further remark, he writes that the Supreme Court Rules cannot be rendered useless by simple parliamentary legislation; can parliamentary amendment of directives be recognized as an appeal? A case that has already been decided in court cannot be brought up again.

The additional note of Justice Muneeb Akhtar states that the revisional jurisdiction is connected with the same principle, Supreme Court Rules are superior to law, and Supreme Court Rules are set under Article 191.

Meanwhile, the leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and former Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, while speaking formally to journalists in Islamabad, said that there is no problem with the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the Review and Judgments Act. He said that the Muslim League-Nawaz will decide its political and legal strategy regarding this and will consult legal experts on the matter.