ISLAMABAD, Sep 11 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said judiciary is committed to play its role as per the law and the constitution.
Addressing a ceremony on the new Judicial Year at Supreme Court building here Wednesday, he said efforts are afoot to reduce the burden of pending cases.
The chief justice said the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is mandated by the constitution to inquire into conduct of judges of the superior judiciary and he must say that the job to be performed in that regard is the most unpleasant job that its chairman and members are to perform in their entire judicial careers.
Nonetheless, it is a constitutional duty they cannot refuse to perform and the Constitution empowers the president to direct the council to inquire into the conduct of a judge and the council cannot disregard such a constitutionally mandated direction and it must inquire as directed, he added.
He said it, however, goes without saying that such a direction to inquire does not and cannot control the opinion to be formed by the council after inquiring into the matter. On the other hand the council’s hands are freer in the matter of holding an inquiry or not as far as complaints or information received against a judge from any other source are concerned and in such cases the council can determine at the initial stages to file/dismiss a complaint/information while deciding that the matter is not worth holding any inquiry.
