Supreme Court issues ruling about review jurisdiction
Pakistan
Judgment also expressed concern over backlog of 2.2 million pending cases in the country
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Ahead of the decision on petitions related to reserved seats, the Supreme Court issued a significant ruling authored by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, clarifying the scope of review jurisdiction under Article 188 of the Constitution.
The judgment states that a review petition can only be filed under Article 188 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court Rules. It underscores that mere dissatisfaction with a verdict is not sufficient grounds for review. Instead, a review must point to a legal or technical error.
The bench ruled that issues already deliberated and dismissed during the original proceedings cannot be reopened through a review petition. It further observed that the argument that an alternative interpretation could have been considered is not a valid ground for review.
Also read: Reserved seats review: PML-N, ECP counsel face the heat in SC
The judgment also expressed concern over the backlog of cases in the country, noting that nearly 2.2 million cases remain pending nationwide — with over 56,000 currently awaiting adjudication in the Supreme Court alone. A significant portion of this backlog, the ruling noted, consists of unnecessary review petitions, which the judiciary should actively discourage.
The ruling was passed by a three-member bench comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.
Meanwhile, a 13-member full court, headed by Justice Syed Aminuddin Khan, heard review petitions concerning the reserved seats.
On July 12, 2023, the court had directed to allot the reserved seats to the PTI. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah had authored that order. Justice Shah is not part of the larger bench hearing the review petition.
