By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) dismissed 19 of 24 complaints against superior court judges on Saturday, labeling them baseless, but opted to shield the details from public view despite Chief Justice Yahya Afridi’s plea for openness.
The council, chaired by Chief Justice Afridi, convened to review allegations lodged under Article 209 of the Constitution, which governs judicial accountability.
The five-member panel, comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah (joining via video link), Justice Munib Akhtar, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, unanimously agreed to drop the majority of the complaints after careful scrutiny.
Five other complaints were deferred for further consideration at a later date.
During the session, Chief Justice Afridi pressed for greater transparency, suggesting that the rejected complaints “should at least be made public so that the people could know about the frivolous allegations levelled against the judges.”
His proposal, however, met resistance from the other council members, who declined to endorse the idea, opting instead to maintain confidentiality. Saturday’s decision marks the latest step in an ongoing effort by the SJC to address a backlog of grievances against the judiciary.
Earlier this year, as Chief Justice Afridi marked his first 100 days in office in February, the council reported having examined 46 complaints against constitutional officeholders, disposing of 40. To keep up the momentum, the SJC previously resolved to hold regular monthly sessions, aiming to fast-track the resolution of outstanding cases.
The council also approved the draft of the Supreme Judicial Council Secretariat Service Rules-2025, a step toward enhancing its administrative framework. However, proposals to revise the procedure for inquiries and amend the Code of Conduct and Procedure of Enquiry 2005 were shelved for now, with the council noting that these required additional legal and drafting review.
Earlier, the SJC tapped Justice Munib Akhtar to head a committee charged with updating the judges’ code of conduct and outlining a clear process for investigating misconduct allegations against superior court judges.
In a recent interaction with the media, Chief Justice Afridi confirmed that the committee had finalized a draft for these amendments, which would establish a structured system for submitting complaints and conducting preliminary scrutiny to assess their validity or need for deeper investigation. To support these reforms, the SJC has established a dedicated secretariat to boost its operational capacity, a move intended to streamline the handling of such cases.
Earlier this week, Chief Justice Afridi summoned the council to address roughly two dozen pending complaints and evaluate recommendations to improve transparency and streamline the process of probing judicial misconduct. The council’s next steps will include revisiting the five deferred complaints and refining the proposed changes to the inquiry procedures and code of conduct.
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