Judges as legislators
Under our constitution, parliament legislates, the executive runs the government of the day and the judges decide when either of the other two has overstepped its domain. The power of…
Judging the judges
A few weeks back, the Supreme Court refused to admit for hearing a constitutional petition on strengthening procedures for judicial accountability in the country. Among other things, the petition requested…
No more judges, please
Last year, Pakistan’s former chief justice, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, showed the bar and the bench a mirror when he announced the results of an empirical study conducted by Supreme…
Who will judge the judges?
There is something surreal about those black-and-white, grainy photographs. Dazed, listless people being herded around and transported like cattle on trucks and trains to their imminent end as if in…
The judges must speak clearly
The findings of the judicial commission probing the case of possible, systematic and large-scale rigging in the last elections can be a turning point in Pakistan’s electoral history. This event…
Judges’ appointment
Parliament, through the 18th and 19th Amendments, established the judicial commission and parliamentary committee for the appointment of superior court judges. The former nominates individuals to don the coveted robes…
Public-speaking judges
A Cursory look at the daily print and electronic media reveals that judges no longer speak only through their judgments. In addition to the regular publication and broadcasting of Supreme…
Misjudged judges
Just under a year ago the Judicial Commission of Pakistan nominated two leading luminaries of the bar for appointment as additional judges of the Sindh High Court. This nomination was…
The age of judges
The 114th Constitution Amendment Bill has been tabled in the Lok Sabha (the Indian parliament). The bill seeks to enhance the retirement age of judges, proposing that the retirement age…
Judges as legislators
In ‘Blink’ Malcom Gladwell suggests that human beings generally reach decisions intuitively and instantly upon being confronted with the need to reach them and then come up with explanations rationalising…
