Senior Supreme Court judge Mansoor Ali Shah has said that some wrong decisions cannot be defended, and they are blots on the history of the judiciary.
Addressing the inaugural session of the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, Justice Shah said he was not very happy with the history of the judiciary, as there was concern about it around the world. "Something or the other happens that causes criticism of the judiciary," he maintained.
The senior judge said that currently, 2.4 million cases are pending adjudication in Pakistan. "We are ranked 130th in the world, which is not a good impression," he remarked, adding that organizations must forget the culture of individualism.
"Things should be subordinated to the system and go beyond the individual level. This will bring more transparency," Justice Shah said.
He further suggested reforms within the judicial institution and that the procedure for the appointment of judges be made transparent. "A judge who does not deliver should be kicked out. Corruption in the judiciary should be completely eradicated," he stressed.
The senior judge said that 90% of pending cases in Pakistan were held with the district judiciary, adding that the referral culture had to be done away with.
"We must resort to technology to deal with pending cases. If we do not bring IT into our system, it will be difficult to deal with 2.4 million cases. The Supreme Judicial Council will have to be made a more empowered body and data analysis rooms will have to be created for the courts," the judge stated.
