Pakistan govt demands resignation of 'controversial' Chief Justice

A senior Pakistani minister on Friday demanded the resignation of Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial after another judge of the Supreme Court issued a dissenting note on the suo motu notice regarding holding elections in Punjab province, further deepening the faultlines between the judiciary and the government.

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb’s demand came amid growing calls from the ruling PML-N party for the top judge to step down.

A complaint has also been filed against the CJP before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for misconduct, seeking a probe into the constitution of a bench for suo motu proceedings on Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections.

PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif echoed the demand that CJP Bandial should resign because “his tilt towards” the PTI was glaring’.

In a couple of tweets, Maryam alleged that the top judge had flagrantly violated the law and Constitution to favour former prime minister Imran Khan and his PTI party.

“This blatant abuse of authority has led to an unprecedented revolt-like situation in the [Supreme Court]. Judges of impeccable repute have raised serious questions on CJP’s conduct & bias,” she wrote, claiming that no chief justice had ever been accused of such misconduct.

Her father, PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, also tweeted on the issue, saying that courts were meant to rescue nations from crises, not push them further into the quagmire.

Addressing the media in Islamabad, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb “Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to resign after his position has become controversial”.

On Friday, Justice Athar Minallah, in his dissenting note, maintained that the Supreme Court's suo motu notice was dismissed by a majority 4-3 ruling.

Aurangzeb said Justice Minallah's decision raised questions about the judicial process.

"Justice Minallah has made a major decision today. Following this decision, the majority of judges have reached a conclusion. The decision made by him today raises questions about the judicial process," the information minister said.

A three-member bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the new date for elections to the Punjab Assembly, as it quashed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to extend the polls date from April 10 to October 8.

The dissenting note of the judge provided an opportunity for the government to put more pressure on the apex court to accept its demand to set up a full court to decide the election date in Punjab province.

The verdict was criticised by the coalition government, which refused to accept it.

The complainant claims that the Chief Justice “devised groupings within the vagaries of the Supreme Court of Pakistan” and was guilty of misconduct.