ISLAMABAD, March 27: As the government and other respondents have submitted their replies, a Supreme Court bench is likely to resume from April 4 regular hearing of six constitutional petitions challenging the 17th Amendment to the constitution and the army post of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Replies had been received from the government and a five-member bench preside over by the chief justice was likely to commence regular hearing in the constitutional matters from April 4, sources said.

The petitions have been filed by A.K. Dogar, Habibul Wahab Al Khairi, Zafarullah Khan, Jamil Malik and Moulvi Iqbal Haider with a common contention that the 17th Amendment should be declared unconstitutional and that the holding of dual offices by the president was against the constitutional spirit and democratic norms.

A three-member bench had on Feb 24 served notices to the government and other respondents seeking their replies within three weeks. It had ruled that the case should be heard by a larger bench.

The bench had posed a question on the petitioners as to whether the Supreme Court had the jurisdiction to review a law which was passed by parliament.—PPI