The Judicial Commission has issued a preliminary draft of new rules for the appointment of judges, according to which the merit for appointment as judges will include professional qualifications, legal expertise, and competence.
The proposed rules have been made available for public feedback on the Supreme Court's website.
According to the draft, merit for judges’ appointments will be based on professional qualifications, legal proficiency, competence, and reputation. Additionally, the candidate's freedom from external pressure will be a crucial consideration.
The draft emphasises adequate representation of lawyers and sessions judges in the nomination process and proposes ensuring balanced representation from all high courts for appointments to the Supreme Court.
For appointments to the Supreme Court, the draft recommends selecting judges from among the five most senior judges of the high courts. Similarly, the chief justice of a high court should be chosen from the three most senior judges of that court.
The proposed rules outline a structured voting process within the Judicial Commission, which will commence only after thoroughly considering all nominations.
The 2010 rules of the Judicial Commission have been abolished in favour of these new reforms. The draft also incorporates the recommendations made by the Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel Committee.
Justice Jamal Mandokhel, chairman of the committee responsible for drafting the rules, expressed gratitude to committee members for their valuable suggestions.
The Supreme Court spokesperson announced that the proposed rules are open for public comments and feedback until December 20. The proposed rules have been published on the Supreme Court website. The Judicial Commission will review these suggestions and consider final approval of the rules on December 21.
