ISLAMABAD AUG13 (TNS): The number of cases pending with the Supreme Court has recorded a whopping increase of almost 100% during the last eight years.
The number of pending cases has reached 36,344 as compared to 18,359 in 2009, according to a summary statement of the Supreme Court issued.
This rapid increase in the number of pending cases is the biggest challenge faced by the SC judges, who are already tolerating criticism in dealing with matters that are political in nature.
According to the summary statement, as many as 25,604 pending cases in the apex court came from the high courts, wherein 16,117 were civil petitions and 9,487 civil appeals.
Likewise, 294 constitutional petitions, which have been directly filed in the apex court, are pending so far, it states, adding that decisions on 177 human rights cases and 59 suo motu matters are still awaited.
Only one reference, which was filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari for revisiting of judgment in Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto murder case, is pending while decisions on 1,269 criminal appeals are still awaited, according to the statement.
Legal experts suggest that Alternative Dispute Resolution is the only option to discourage the trend of filing petitions, and the number of the Supreme Court judges may also be increased for the disposal of cases.
They recommend that if high courts judges could not be elevated due to certain reasons, then the court should directly appoint senior lawyers as judges of the apex court under the Constitution.
Senior lawyers are also proposing that the chief justice should devise a policy whereby special benches are constituted to decide cases similar in nature.
