Islamabad (Turkey News Desk)The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled in an important judgment that writ petitions from High Courts will now be heard in the Federal Constitutional Court, while other appeals will remain within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
According to the court, the Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court are constitutionally independent institutions, and neither court is an appellate authority over the other. However, under Article 189 of the Constitution, legal principles laid down by the Federal Constitutional Court will be binding on other courts.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi issued the reserved verdict on petitions filed against the judgment of the Peshawar High Court dated 17 February 2020.
In the 13-page detailed decision, the court stated that after the 27th Constitutional Amendment, the judicial jurisdiction has been clearly divided. Under this framework, writ petitions falling under Article 199 will now go to the Federal Constitutional Court, while civil and criminal appeals under Article 185 will continue to be heard by the Supreme Court.
The court further clarified that the purpose of this division is to maintain judicial independence while organizing jurisdictional structure, and not to make any court subordinate to another.
