For the first time in history, the Supreme Court has initiated live streaming of hearings regarding a series of petitions challenging the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act of 2023. This act mandates the establishment of benches to address constitutional issues of public significance through the coordination of a committee composed of three senior judges from the court.
This groundbreaking decision was made on the inaugural day of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s tenure as the highest-ranking judge in the court. Prior to commencing the hearing, Chief Justice Isa convened a full court meeting.
The full court was constituted by newly-appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and includes Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Musarrat Hilali.
Prior to this, a full court meeting was held to discuss the live broadcast of today’s proceedings and to deliberate on guidelines to ensure the effective conduct of hearings.
With this objective in mind, five cameras were positioned in courtroom number one. Additionally, four cameras were placed in the visitors’ gallery, and one was situated at the lawyers’ rostrum in front of the judges’ docks.