Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is slated to meet today and decide on approving additional and ad-hoc judges for the Supreme Court, reports SAMAA

According to article 181 and 182 of the constitution, judges can be elevated to the Supreme Court when required. On May 1 while addressing the Sibi Bar, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry said that an additional and two ad-hoc judges would need to be elevated to hear the appeal of Prime Minister Gilani’s contempt of court case.

The commission led by Chief Justice Chaudhry also includes four senior judges of the Supreme Court, former judge Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed, the Law Minister, Attorney General and a representative of the Pakistan Bar Council.

If the government chooses filing an appeal in the contempt case then a nine member bench of the Supreme Court will hear it. At present there are 16 judges in the Supreme Court, seven of whom had heard the Prime Minister’s Contempt case. Three of the remaining nine judges have excused themselves from hearing the appeal.

The names of the additional and ad-hoc judges approved by the commission will be sent to the parliamentary committee for approval. SAMAA