KARACHI: A day after the appointment of Justice K.K Agha the head of the constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, the SHC has set up various benches to hear petitions involving constitutional matters.

Justice Agha constituted the benches at the principal seat in Karachi and circuit courts and benches of the SHC in other districts of Sindh after consulting with members of the other two members of the committee of the constitutional bench.

A roster for the constitutional benches, which would hear cases from Nov 27 to Nov 30, was issued by the deputy registrar of the high court.

According to the roster, Justice Agha will head a three-member constitutional bench in Karachi. The other two members of the bench will be Justice Abdul Mobeen Lakho and Justice Sana Akram Minhas.

Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed and Justice Khadim Husain Soomro would hear constitutional petitions at SHC circuit court in Hyderabad.

The constitutional bench in Sukkur is comprised of Justice Mohammad Saleem Jessar and Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi.

A division bench comprising Justice Jessar and Justice Arbab Ali Hakro will hear constitutional matters at SHC circuit court in Larkana on every Wednesday and Thursday.

The constitutional bench formed for circuit court Hyderabad will also sit at circuit court Mirpurkhas on every Tuesday to hear constitutional cases, it added.

Meanwhile, after composition of the constitutional benches, a revised roster was also issued for four days for regular benches of the SHC on the instruction of Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui.

Meanwhile, the SHC registrar on Tuesday issued a circular and stated that all the matters of constitutional benches, falling under sub-paragraph (i) of paragraph (a) and paragraph (c) of clause (i) of Article 199 of the Constitution, will be heard by respective constitutional benches.

“It is further clarified that in pursuance of paragraph (5) of Article 202A of the Constitution, all the relevant cases specified thereunder shall stand transferred to the respective constitutional benches,” it added.

Official sources said that an exercise to review and classify these petitions was underway at the SHC in order to mark each petition to the bench of relevant jurisdiction for hearing.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024