The Judicial Commission is ready to review the procedure for appointing judges

Web Desk: Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) is set to revise the procedure for appointing judges, through proposed amendments to the 2010 rules, the traditional way of selecting judges for the Supreme Court and High Courts will be changed.
According to the report, the proposed changes will be discussed in the meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan on Friday.
The changes are aimed at abolishing the automatic promotion of Chief Justices of High Courts to the Supreme Court and the appointment of the senior-most judge as Chief Justice of High Courts.
The amendments propose a more streamlined selection process involving multiple candidates for each post, which will increase competition among judges.
An important aspect of the amendments is the enhanced role of Bar Councils in the judicial appointment process.
The draft amendments were finalized by a committee constituted on December 4, 2023, which was chaired by Supreme Court Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, co-chairman former judge Manzoor Malik and others.
The main areas to be considered for the proposed amendments to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan Rules issued in 2010 are convening and decision-making of the Commission, nominations to the Supreme Court, nominations to the High Courts, district judiciary and adequate representation for advancement of the Bar, Supreme Court. It includes selection criteria for appointment of Judges in Court and High Courts, confirmation of Additional Judges in High Courts, establishment of Secretariat of the Commission, appointment of Secretary and other staff.
The committee suggested that for the appointment of Supreme Court Judge, the Chairperson shall recommend 3 names for each vacancy as per the prescribed criteria and convene a meeting of the Commission for consideration 15 days before the vacancy occurs. will
The proposed draft added that the commission would then nominate a person by a majority to fill a vacant parliamentary committee seat.
For the promotion of the Chief Justice of the High Court, where traditionally the most senior judge has been given the portfolio, the amendments have proposed that the Chief Justice will be appointed from a panel of 5 senior judges of the same High Court.
It states that for the appointment of the Chief Justice of a High Court, the Chairperson shall convene a meeting of the Commission to consider the names of the five senior-most judges of the High Court one month before the post falls vacant.
Later, the commission will send a name to the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Judges.