Full court endorses regular review of Supreme Court Rules

Supreme Court’s full court has agreed that the Supreme Court Rules should be reviewed and amended as required from time to time.

Following detailed deliberations on various provisions, the full court “unanimously agreed” that the Supreme Court Rules, 2025, are a “living document,” and “shall be subject to ongoing review and amendment as required from time to time”, the Supreme Court of Pakistan said in a press release.

The development took place during the 156th full court meeting of the SC presided by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi at the Supreme Court Building in Islamabad on Monday.

The meeting was attended by 19 other senior judges of the Supreme Court — Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, Justice Shahid Bilal, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.

CJ Afridi says rules, policies made to make court’s functioning fairer

At the outset, the chief justice commended the efforts of the committee constituted to review the Supreme Court Rules, 1980. He appreciated the committee’s work, “undertaken with input from judges and the legal fraternity, resulting in a comprehensive draft of the Supreme Court Rules, 2025”.

Chairman of the Committee Justice Shahid Waheed briefed the full court on the rules.

The full court, after considering various aspects and deliberating upon some of the critical provisions, unanimously decided to postpone the implementation of amendments to the extent of enhancement of court fees and securities for the time being.

“The committee shall consider the suggestions from judges, the bar representatives or other stakeholders in this regard for placement before the full court for decision in light of the committee’s recommendations,” it added.

The chief justice termed this development a significant milestone, reflecting the judiciary’s commitment to strengthening institutional frameworks and ensuring that the Supreme Court Rules remain dynamic, responsive, and in line with contemporary needs.

Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to CJ Afridi, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah have expressed dissatisfaction about the process for the review and approval of Supreme Court Rules 2025, as reported by local media.

The four senior puisne termed the today’s full court meeting a “stamp of approval” for the rules. They claimed that the rules were already decided and unilaterally approved.