LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum on Tuesday constituted a three-member full bench to hear petitions challenging the 27th Amendment.

Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan will head the bench with Justice Jawad Hassan and Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad as its members.

The cause list of the full bench will be issued soon.

The other day, Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal had recused himself from the petitions challenging the amendment and requested the chief justice to fix them before any other appropriate bench.

A petition was filed by lawyers Munir Ahmad and Mian Shabbir Ismail through Advocate Azhar Siddique, arguing that the amendment conflicts with the basic structure and spirit of the 1973 Constitution.

The petition says there is a fear that the status of the Supreme Court will be weakened and judicial independence compromised following the amendment.

The petition alleges that the amendment has distorted the country’s 60-year judicial history and tradition. It maintains that a federal constitutional court was never part of the original constitutional scheme.

The petition further argues that the current National Assembly is not a true constituent assembly and therefore lacks the authority to introduce such major constitutional changes. The amendment, it says, runs counter to Islamic provisions, judicial independence and fundamental rights.

In a second plea, a citizen, Hassan Latif, has again filed a petition against the 27th Amendment.

The petition contends that radical changes introduced by the amendment contradict the preamble to the Constitution and are aimed at curtailing the powers of the Supreme Court.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2025