4 SC judges boycott full court meeting

ISLAMABAD  –  Four Supreme Court judges have expressed their reservations regarding the process be-ing adopted for the review and approval of Supreme Court Rules 2025.

These four apex court judges, including Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik, and Justice Athar Minallah, expressed their reservations in their joint letter written to Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi here on Monday.

The four judges in their joint letter raised objections over the enactment of the Supreme Court Rules 2025 without prior deliberations or approval of the full court.

They criticized the procedure, terming it “fallacious” and contrary to constitutional requirements. They pointed out that the rules were notified on August 9, 2025, as “approved,” but within three days, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi convened a full court to seek suggestions for amendments.

The judges said that this sequence tacitly admitted that the full court is the correct forum for such de-cisions, yet it was involved only after unilateral approval.

They stressed that the rules should have been presented before the full court in their entirety for genuine discussion and approval, rather than after the fact. Criticizing the process for adding only “a veneer of legitimacy” to an otherwise invalid exercise, the judges urged that the full court meeting not be reduced to a “cosmetic role”.

Later, the 156th Full Court meeting of the Supreme Court was held at the Supreme Court Building, Is-lamabad, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi. However, the four judges, who wrote the letter, were not present in the full court meeting.

The meeting was attended by the Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Musar-rat Hilali, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, Justice Shahid Bilal, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Mu-hammad Shafi Siddiqui, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, Justice Shakeel Ahmad, Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.

At the very outset, Chief Justice welcomed the participants and commended the efforts of the com-mittee constituted to review the Supreme Court Rules, 1980. He appreciated the committee’s exhaus-tive work, undertaken with input from judges and the legal fraternity, resulting in a comprehensive draft of the Supreme Court Rules, 2025. Justice Shahid Waheed, Chairman of the Committee, briefed the Full Court on the rules.

Following detailed deliberations on various provisions, the Full Court unanimously agreed that the Su-preme Court Rules, 2025, are a “living document,” and shall be subject to ongoing review and amend-ment as required from time to time.

The Full Court, after considering various aspects and deliberating upon some of the critical provisions, unanimously decided to postpone the implementation of amendments to the extent of enhancement of court fees and securities for the time being. The Committee shall consider the suggestions from Judges, the Bar representatives or other stakeholders in this regard for placement before the Full Court for decision in light of the Committee’s recommendations.

The Chief Justice termed this development a significant milestone, reflecting the judiciary’s commit-ment to strengthening institutional frameworks and ensuring that the Supreme Court Rules remain dynamic, responsive, and in line with contemporary needs.