Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission is meeting today (Monday) to discuss the appointment of two ad-hoc judges and one acting judge in the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will preside over the meeting.

Speaking at a ceremony in Sibi on 1st May, Chief Justice Chaudhry had disclosed that three judges had opted to sit out of the possible larger bench if an appeal was filed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani against his conviction.

The chief justice explained that two ad-hoc judges and one acting judge needed to be appointed to complete a 9-member larger bench.

According to sources, the commission has forwarded an agenda to its members recommending appointment of Justice (retd.) Shahid Siddiqi and Justice (retd.) Ghulam Rabbani as ad-hoc judges and Justice Umar Ata, the senior most judge of the Lahore High Court, as an acting Supreme Court judge under Article 181 of the Constitution.

It may be noted here Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have already rejected these recommendations. SAMAA