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LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has referred the petitions filed against the 27th constitutional amendment to a larger three-member bench.
Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal of the LHC on Friday took up the petitions filed by advocate Muhammad Shahid Rana and Hassan Latif Chaudhry.
The petitions claimed that the creation of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), created under the amendment, had effectively made the Supreme Court an unconstitutional court.
They alleged that the amendment reduced judicial authority, thereby endangering judicial independence. They argued that the amendment was made without consulting the provinces, which affected the constitutional framework.
The petitioners asked the court to declare the transfer of cases to the FCC void, declare the 27th Constitutional Amendment unconstitutional, and set it aside. The Prime Minister, the President of the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Justice have been named as defendants in the case.
Some lawyers from Karachi also challenged the 27th constitutional amendment in the Sindh High Court (SHC). The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) also announced that it would challenge the amendment in the Supreme Court.
The PML-N-led government has brought major changes in the country’s judicial system, first through the 26th constitutional amendment bulldozed by Parliament in October 2024, and then through the 27th constitutional amendment.
