SJC decided 64 complaints against judges in previous judicial year: CJP
ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) informed that over the past judicial year the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) decided 64 complaints against the judges of the superior courts, while 72 are presently under scrutiny, and another 65 are ready for transmitting to its members for consideration.
CJP Yahya Afridi was addressing the Judicial Conference held at the Supreme Court building on Monday to mark the commencement of the new judicial year.
The event was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, President Supreme Court Bar Association Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta, representatives of the Bar, senior officials, and members of the media.
In his speech, the chief justice responded to nearly all the questions, raised by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah in his letter. Justice Mansoor in a seven-page letter highlighted number of issues; i.e., summer vacation, pendency of cases in SC, increase in the number of apex court judges, restricting their visits abroad, and approval of SC Rules, 2025, through circulation, and expected that the CJP would address them in his new judicial year speech.
Justice Yahya explained that in 2021–22 no complaint was disposed of, in 2022–23 only 21 were decided, and in 2023–24 a total of 53 were disposed of, whereas in 2024–25 the Council concluded 70 cases.
He also gave a review of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’ performance over the past five years, saying in 2020–21, 17 meetings were held, in 2021–22, 9 meetings were held, in 2022–23, 13 meetings were held, in 2023–24, 13 meetings were held; while in 2024–25, 31 meetings were convened.
Giving performance of the apex court during the previous judicial year, the CJP stated that exactly one year ago from today (September 8, 2024) 60,635 cases were pending in the Supreme Court. However, from September 9, 2024 to September 7, 2025, 22,863 cases were decided. “As a result, the overall pendency was brought down to 56943 cases,” he added.
Comparing the figures for 2023–24 with those for 2024–25, the CJP stated that the number of cases fixed is more than double, from 42,666 to 76433. Disposal also saw a sharp rise, from 16,649 to 22,863.
Regarding the number of adjournments sought by lawyers, the chief justice said the data revealed these rose sharply in 2024–25 to 56,449, compared to 22,425 in the previous year. He; therefore, urged the lawyers to help curb the growing tendency of adjournments.
The chief justice apprised that digital case-filing has been introduced, with files now being transferred electronically and cases fully trackable online. E-services such as e-copies, e-affidavits, and e-delivery of orders and judgments have been fully implemented, along with a dedicated unit to oversee infrastructure upgrades. “We have also introduced e-notices, supported by WhatsApp, SMS, and email alerts, and upgraded the digital infrastructure in Islamabad and at the Branch Registries to facilitate seamless online hearings.
He stated that for the first time, the apex court invited a team of professionals from the Audit Department, Government of Pakistan, to conduct an external audit of the accounts of the Court for 2024–25.
The chief justice shared that the Committee, which was constituted on 30th October, 2024, to frame new rules, after incorporating the proposals from worthy fellow judges, as well as, the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association, finalised the draft rules on 19-03-2025, which were placed before the Full-Court on 17-04-2025 and after detailed discussions, it was decided to obtain further proposals from the judges.
He stated that Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Shazad Ahmad Khan and he himself submitted proposals, and after due consideration, the Committee prepared the final draft of Rules, and following consideration in Full Court, the Supreme Court Rules, 2025 were approved, via circulation, notified on 6th August 2025, and published on 9th August 2025.
Justice Yahya further said that alongside the Rules, several new policies and SOPs have been introduced to address and to structure the discretion of the competent authority in proceeding with important issues on the administrative side. These include a Policy for Early Hearing and Out-of-Turn Fixation of cases, revised guidelines for the use of Court rest houses and official vehicles, SOPs for protocol and facilitation of Judges, a policy for uploading judgments, granting of leave to judges, and even the framework for visits by educational delegations.
He stated that to safeguard the dignity of judges, SOPs have also been framed by the High Courts to protect judicial officers from external influence. “To promote expeditious justice, Model Civil and Criminal Courts continued to function with time-bound trials, while mediation facilities were expanded across the provinces and metropolitan Family Courts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025