Pakistan bill seeks right of appeal against Supreme Court decisions

Islamabad: The Pakistan government is hoping to pass a new law seeing right of appeal against the Supreme Court’s decisions in suo moto cases.

A larger bench of the Supreme Court is currently hearing the Panama leaks scandal case — against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family —under this jurisdiction. The Supreme Court is empowered to take suo motu action on any matter of public interest under the same jurisdiction.

Mr Sharif’s family has been accused of running off-shore companies with corruption money in the Panama leaks scandal.

The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)-led government introduced the 24th Constitutional Amendment bill in the national Assembly to provide the right to appeal against the SC’s decision in suo moto cases and for appeal to be listened by a bench larger than the bench that had passed orders. A larger bench of the SC is currently hearing the Panama leaks scandal case under this jurisdiction. The SC is empowered to take suo motu action on any matter of public interest under the same jurisdiction.

Minister for parliamentary affairs Sheikh Aftab introduced the bill which provides for an appeal within 30 days of an SC order under Clause 3 of Article 184, to be heard by a bench larger than the bench which passes the order under appeal. Through the new proposed constitutional amendment in Article 184 of the Constitution, the government proposed a new clause 4 and 5 in Article, after Clause 3, which stated that “(4) Any person aggrieved by an order passed by the Supreme Court under clause (3) may be, within 30 days of the passing of such order, prefer an appeal to the Supreme Court.”