A complaint has been filed with the Supreme Judicial Council seeking the dismissal of Umar Ata Bandial as the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
“In this view of the matter, jurisdiction of the Supreme Judicial Council is being invoked to form an opinion that the incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Umar Ata Bandial is guilty of misconduct, be removed from his office, after inquiring into the matter, in accordance with the Article 209(6) of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, by the President,” lawyer Raja Sibtain Khan stated in the plea, on Friday.
The complainant also said that the apex court became controversial after a suo motu notice into Punjab elections.
The CJP, he maintained, is behind a grouping in the top court, and he constituted the bench with that in view so he could gain a majority decision.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declared the ECP’s decision regarding the postponement of elections in Punjab till October as null and void.
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A three-member bench, led by CJP Bandial and including Justices Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, announced the decision.
In its ruling, the apex court deemed the decision to hold elections on October 8 “unconstitutional” and mandated that they take place on May 14 in Punjab.
The ruling also stated that the Punjab government shall provide the Election Commission with a security plan. It further stated that a report on the electoral personnel should be submitted to ECP by April 10 by the caretaker government and chief secretary of Punjab.
Late last month, a three-member bench of SC led by the CJP turned down AGP Mansoor Awan’s request to form a full court to hear PTI’s plea against the elections delay.
According to the court, the law or the rules don’t support the composition of a full court and doing so would take the matter back to its start.
