Top judge rejects call to make JCP proceedings public

A renewed call to make public the proceedings of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), under the leadership of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, has once again been rejected — reopening a debate previously settled by the commission during a meeting last year.

- Tariq Butt

In the Nov.25, 2024 meeting, senior puisne judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had proposed that the minutes of JCP meetings be made public, but the idea was turned down by a majority of members, a well-placed source revealed.

On June 25, Justice Shah again urged the JCP to share minutes of its meetings - citing past transparency measures taken during the tenure of former CJP Justice Qazi Faez Isa, when the minutes of a three-judge committee formed under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 were regularly uploaded on the Supreme Court’s official website.