An amendment bill has been introduced in the Senate to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court from 17 to 21. The bill aims to address the high number of pending cases in the apex court, which currently stands at over 53,000. The bill, titled “Supreme Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Act”, was presented by an independent senator, Mohammad Abdul Qadir, who called for increasing the number of judges to handle the growing workload, citing the diverse nature of cases and the need for more judicial resources. However, the opposition senators have opposed the new legislation.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar also supported the bill and suggested forwarding it to the relevant committee. He pointed to several pending cases, including capital punishments, and emphasized the need for more judges to address the backlog. This move has sparked controversy, with some senators alleging that the bill is an attempt to impose judicial martial law by increasing the number of judges. The opposition party has decided to oppose the bill, arguing that instead of increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court, the focus should be on strengthening the subordinate courts. There are also discussions about the need for comprehensive legal reforms and the constitution of a separate court for constitutional amendments. The bill has been referred to the relevant body of the upper house for further consideration.

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The government has denied reports that the legislation could include the extension of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and changes in the law regarding the appointments of SC judges based on the principle of seniority. The Law Minister clarified that the appointment of a new top judge will be based solely on seniority.