Justice Umar Ata Bandial has been sworn in as the Chief Justice of Pakistan on Wednesday, replacing former Justice Gulzar Ahmed whose tenure as the top judge ended on Tuesday.
Justice Bandial will serve as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) until September 2023, when according to the seniority principal of the high court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa is slated to become the next CJP.
On the eve of his ascension, Justice Bandial addressed the court, laying out plans for his term in the top seat of the apex court. He criticized the press and social media for maligning individual judges, rather than responding to their court judgements. He said that the personal attacks on judges were 'unprofessional and uncivilized,' and requested assistance from the bar on the matter.
“The differences in judges’ opinions in matters of law arise from our individual perceptions and this diversity brings richness to our understanding,” Justice Bandial said.
He called on the bar to quell the backlog of cases hindering the judicial process by relying more on written briefs, concise statements and skeleton arguments by counsel. He vowed to stem the practice of seeking adjournments during hearings. He lamented that due to the priority given the petition filed by Justice Isa against the presidential reference, the backlog in April 2021, when the case ended, had reached nearly 50,000 cases.
“One problem that is easily identifiable is the large number of frivolous disputes that clutter the justice system,” Justice Bandial observed.
In criminal matters, Justice Bandial called for better training and improved coordination between investigators and prosecutors.
Justice Bandial served as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 2012 to 2014.
Justice Bandial will serve as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) until September 2023, when according to the seniority principal of the high court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa is slated to become the next CJP.
On the eve of his ascension, Justice Bandial addressed the court, laying out plans for his term in the top seat of the apex court. He criticized the press and social media for maligning individual judges, rather than responding to their court judgements. He said that the personal attacks on judges were 'unprofessional and uncivilized,' and requested assistance from the bar on the matter.
“The differences in judges’ opinions in matters of law arise from our individual perceptions and this diversity brings richness to our understanding,” Justice Bandial said.
He called on the bar to quell the backlog of cases hindering the judicial process by relying more on written briefs, concise statements and skeleton arguments by counsel. He vowed to stem the practice of seeking adjournments during hearings. He lamented that due to the priority given the petition filed by Justice Isa against the presidential reference, the backlog in April 2021, when the case ended, had reached nearly 50,000 cases.
“One problem that is easily identifiable is the large number of frivolous disputes that clutter the justice system,” Justice Bandial observed.
In criminal matters, Justice Bandial called for better training and improved coordination between investigators and prosecutors.
Justice Bandial served as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 2012 to 2014.