To address the backlog of cases in Pakistan’s top court, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has called for an end to the practice of seeking adjournments.
In a previous hearing regarding a case of agreement violation, CJP Isa firmly stated, “We need to change our mindset about granting adjournments in cases.”
He emphasized that the practice of routinely granting adjournments should be discontinued, especially given the significant number of pending cases in the Supreme Court. CJP Isa outlined a new approach, wherein parties would receive a notice during a single hearing, and decisions would be made based on arguments presented in subsequent hearings.
CJP Isa underscored his message that adjournments would no longer be permitted in cases, signaling a proactive stance to expedite legal proceedings.
He also highlighted that while other courts may allow time for the submission of case-related documents, the Supreme Court differs as it receives case records in advance.
Chief Justice Isa, who assumed office on September 17, 2023, pledged to make every effort to promptly address the backlog of pending cases during his tenure.
Former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial had previously attributed the rise in case backlog in the Supreme Court to constitutional cases. He noted that during his tenure, the court had made substantial progress, disposing of a record-breaking 23,000 cases in a year, surpassing the previous record of 18,000 cases.
In the period from February 2, 2022, to February 25, 2023, the Supreme Court resolved 24,303 cases while receiving 22,018 new cases, resulting in a reduction of 2,285 cases in the overall backlog, which decreased from 54,735 to 52,450 during this time frame.
This accomplishment marked the highest number of cases decided in a year since 2018 when 16,961 cases were disposed of.
