KARACHI, May 5: The Pakistan Bar Council on Thursday maintained that judges of Supreme Court could not be part of a panel supposed to decide the matter of their own retirement age. This would be in violation of the basic principle of natural justice, it added.
“The issue of retirement age of the judges of Supreme Court and high courts is a settled matter under Article 179 and 195 of the Constitution and there is no justification whatsoever to tamper with it,” said PBC in a resolution.
Expressing its concern over the fixing of petitions on the matter, the PBC said that it was causing serious concern among members of the legal fraternity throughout Pakistan.
It said that the PBC and all other representative bodies of lawyers had rejected enhancement in the retirement age of judges under the Legal Framework Order.
It requested the Supreme Court not to hear the petitions to avoid any conflict or confrontation between bars and benches.—PPI
