Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday remarked that the Supreme Court (SC) will not be influenced by criticism as long as there are people who abide by the Constitution. The CJP’s remarks came during the hearing of the presidential reference seeking the interpretation of Article 63(A).
He added that the SC stands for the supremacy of the Constitution. “The courts are open for critics as the court’s job is to do justice with everyone,” Justice Bandial said, adding that the court will continue to serve its purpose despite the criticism it is subjected to. Presenting arguments in the court during the hearing, Senator Raza Rabbani said the constitutional office holders attacked and ran campaigns against institutions that stood for the Constitution. He further said that malicious criticism of democratic institutions leads the country towards fascism. Courts work for 24 hours, Justice Bandial had said on Monday in response to former prime minister Imran Khan’s question on why the courts had to open at midnight on April 9 – the night he was ousted as the prime minister. During the hearing of the presidential reference, CJP Bandial said: “No one needs to point a finger at the courts.” The top judge said: “We don’t care about what is being said on social media; [we] are the protector of the Constitution”. CJP Bandial said that the SC expects political leaders to defend judicial orders in public.
