The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 was returned by President Dr. Arif Alvi on Wednesday without his signature, yet it will become a law today (Thursday).
The president stated that the country’s top court is now considering the question of the bill’s legality and parliamentary competence.
The president reportedly stated that no further action on the measure is necessary while the subject is still being heard, according to the Presidency Press Wing.
The Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill, 2023 was passed by the Joint Sitting of Parliament on April, therefore despite the president’s refusal to sign it, it will take effect on April 20.
The law was previously approved by both Houses of Parliament and forwarded to the President for approval amid a dispute between the executive branch and the judiciary over the upcoming elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, the President had sent the Bill back to Parliament for revision, claiming that it “travels beyond the competence of Parliament” and may be criticized as “colorable legislation” in its first form.
The measure was then passed by a joint session of parliament on April 10 amid vehement opposition from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and it was then once again forwarded to the president for signature.
