JCP extends SC's constitutional bench term until November 30

• CJP Yahya Afridi chairs two consecutive JCP meetings.
• Extended term of SHC constitutional benches.
• Commission reviews performance of high court judges.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has extended the tenure of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench until November 30, 2025, according to a statement issued by the top court.

The decision was made during a meeting of the JCP held at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad. The session was chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.

According to the statement, the JCP held two separate meetings on Thursday to consider matters related to the constitutional benches of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Sindh, as well as judicial performance evaluations.

In the first meeting, the JCP approved the extension of the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench until November 30, 2025. The commission also deliberated on a policy decision under Article 175A(20) of the Constitution concerning the annual performance evaluation of high court judges.

“As part of this initiative, the JCP chairperson constituted a broad-based committee comprising representatives from the judiciary, parliament, executive, and the legal community to draft rules for judicial performance evaluations,” the statement said.

In second meeting, the top judicial body, by majority, extended the term of the constitutional benches of the Sindh High Court (SHC) for six months, effective July 23, 2025.

As part of the changes, two new judges — Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry and Justice Jaffar Raza — were appointed to replace Justice Agha Faisal and Justice Sana Akram Minhas.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed pleas filed against the transfer of judges from three high courts to the Islamabad High Court and termed them as being constitutional while ruling that Justice Sarfraz Dogar can continue to work as IHC's acting chief justice.

The verdict was announced by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, who was heading the five-member constitutional bench hearing petitions filed by five IHC judges, the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), the IHC Bar Association, and others against the transfer of Justice Sarfraz Dogar from the Lahore High Court, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro from the Sindh High Court, and Justice Muhammad Asif from the Balochistan High Court. The three judges were among those transferred to the IHC.

The bench also comprises Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Shakeel Ahmed.