ISLAMABAD, April 9: A Supreme Court bench here on Tuesday reserved its judgment on the petitions challenging appointment of three judges from Lahore High Court to Supreme Court.

The five-member special bench had heard the five petitioners who had stated that the appointments were made in violation of the principle of seniority and a policy of pick and choose was followed by the present government.

The Supreme Court Bar Association was the first to challenge the appointments, besides some other individuals who had filed their petitions in the Lahore High Court but they were summoned in the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, Hamid Khan, President of SCBA, used his right of rebuttal before the court announced that it was reserving its judgment. The court did not indicate that when the judgment would be passed.

Chief Justice Shaikh Riaz Ahmed observed that the existing case with regard to the appointment of judges, as laid down in Judges Case and Asad Ali Case, would not be changed.

The federation’s counsel had requested the court to revisit the existing case law. The other members of the bench are Justice Qazi Mohammad Farooq, Justice Mian Mohammad Ajmal, Justice Syed Deedar Hussain Shah and Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar.