Islamabad, September 8, 2025: Deepening rifts within the judiciary surfaced on Monday as four Supreme Court judges refused to attend a full court meeting called by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi, terming the exercise “cosmetic” and legally flawed.
In a joint letter, Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Ayesha Malik, and Athar Minallah objected to the process followed for reviewing and approving the Supreme Court Rules, 2025. They noted that the rules had already been notified on August 9 through circulation — without being placed before a full court for debate.
“The contradiction is stark,” the judges wrote. “If the Full Court was not deemed necessary for the adoption of the Rules themselves, how can it now be summoned to deliberate upon their amendment? By seeking its views only after notifying the Rules, the exercise reduces the Full Court to a cosmetic role.”
The judges argued that the process undermined the court’s constitutional mandate under Article 191 and warned that the meeting appeared designed only to provide a “stamp of approval” and “damage control.” They said they saw no purpose in attending unless their fundamental concerns were addressed.
They also demanded that their objections be made part of the official minutes — and that those minutes be made public.
The CJP-led meeting, which focused on court rules and judicial fees, went ahead in the absence of the four dissenting judges. The joint letter was not discussed during proceedings.
By majority, the full court decided that court fees would continue to be charged under the Supreme Court Rules of 1980, noting that both the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) had expressed reservations over proposed increases.
The meeting further resolved to seek additional input from judges, which will be reviewed by a four-member committee before another full court session is convened.
