ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has said as many as 64 complaints against judges were decided in past one year, while additional 65 complaints are ready to be considered in a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) — the highest judicial body that holds superior court judges accountable on misconduct — later this month, besides 72 other complaints are under scrutiny.

CJP Afridi shared council’s performa­n­­ce during the last judicial year while add­r­e­­ssing a conference marking the new judicial year here at the Supreme Court auditorium on Monday. All the 24 judges of the Su­­preme Court were present at the ceremony.

Comparing the previous years’ SJC performance, the chief justice said the council did not dispose of a single complaint in 2021-22. It decided 21 cases in 2022–23, 53 in 2023–24 and nearly 70 cases in 2024-25, he said, claiming that the institutional strengthening was also prioritised during the past one year.

He said the Supreme Court had plans to use artificial intelligence to categorise cases for fixation, but the judiciary would have to prepare itself for technology use. Under a project, which would be completed within six months, 61,000 files would be digitally screened, he explained.

“It is only when you have them digitally scanned that you can utilise the tools of AI for categorisation. It will be easy to categorise cases and to fix before one bench one issue,” he added, according to a Dawn.com report.

Justice Afridi says judiciary needs to get ready as SC plans to use AI to categorise cases for listing

Referring to the contentious issue of leave on part of judges, the CJP said he had made it very clear that during vacation, any judge could opt for holidays, but during the court work, the discretion to approve a request for leave of absence or reject it vests with CJP.

During the past year, he said, the SJC secretariat was relocated to a newly established office within the SC building, equipped with modern facilities and designed for future expansion. As the finance division approved its budget, its financial independence was secured, he said, adding that its secretary was designated as principal accounting officer.

In a year, the overall pendency of cases was brought down from 60,635 to 56,943 cases, he said. The backlog could have been reduced further, if several judges had not been engaged in larger constitutional benches, which demanded extended hearings, he added. This decline is not only statistically significant but also a meaningful step towards improving efficiency of the system, he said.

However, at the same time, data revealed that the number of adjournments sought by advocates rose sharply in 2024–25 to 56,449 compared to 22,425 in the previous year.

“I must remind you all that the Bar play an important role in advancing justice, and I urge them to help curb the growing tendency of adjournments, so that the hard-won reduction in pendency may not only be sustained but further strengthened,” the CJP said.

The conference also featured three symbolic inaugurations reflecting the judiciary’s commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and shared responsibility, with public facilitation centre being inaugurated by litigant Basharat Javed, SC media platform by SC press association president Zulqarnain Iqbal, and Supreme Court bar cafeteria by SCBA president Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta.

The conference was also addressed by Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, who emphasised that the SC should refrain from political cases since it makes the top court controversial, whereas Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nas­rullah Warriach cautioned the judges to stay away from what he called a mob mentality and never yield to popular opinions.

SCBA President Rauf Atta had earlier ex­­pressed concern that despite increase in the strength of judges after the 26th Amen­d­ment, the pendency of cases did not reduce.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2025