ISLAMABAD: A three-judge committee set up under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023, on Thursday decided to constitute a Shariat Appellate Bench to take up appeals instituted to challenge different decisions of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC).

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and consisting of Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar, the committee decided the five-judge Shariat Appellate Bench will be headed by the CJP himself.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan will be members of the appellate bench. Dr Muhammad Khalid Masood and Dr Qibla Ayaz will also be part of the bench as aalim ad hoc judges.

The bench will start hearing different appeals against the FSC judgment from Aug 5.

Likewise, the committee also decided by a majority of two to one that a five-member larger bench, headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, will commence hearing the case of journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing.

At the last hearing of on July 29, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, heading a three-judge bench, had referred the case back to the three-judge committee to fix it before a five-member bench.

While deciding the case, the CJP was of the view that the earlier constituted three-judge bench, headed by Justice Shah, should continue hearing the case whereas Justice Shah was of the opinion that the matter should be heard by the five-judge bench headed by Justice Mandokhail.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2024