KARACHI: The Federal Court of Pakistan has been raised to the status of supreme court of civil appeal in the country. The … Parlia­ment passed the Federal Court (Enlargement of Jurisdiction) Bill after a 90-minute debate on Wednesday [Dec 28]. The Parliament also passed the Criminal Law (Extinction of Discriminatory Privileges) Bill withdrawing the discriminatory privileges enjoyed by Europeans and Americans under Macaulay’s Code of Criminal Procedure. The discriminatory Penal Servitude Act and European Vagrancy Act have been repealed.

Replying to the debate during the second reading of the Federal Court (Enlargement of Jurisdiction) Bill, Law Minister J.N. Mandal assured that the Federal Court will soon be made the Supreme Court of Pakistan for all kinds of appeals, civil as well as criminal. He disclosed that the Government were contemplating to give powers to the Federal Court to hear “some sort of criminal appeals” which did not come under the Royal Prerogative. “So long as Pakistan was in the Commonwealth we cannot take away the Royal Prerogative,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2024