Always worked for supremacy of constitution, says CJP Afridi

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi said on Monday that he always worked for the supremacy of the constitution and also called for adopting modern technology to help in provision of speedy justice, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Addressing a Judicial Conference at the start of a new judicial year in the Supreme Court (SC) in Islamabad, Justice Yahya Afridi said that the country’s judicial system was being strengthened by using the latest technology. “Realizing that there is a need to dispose of cases early, we have introduced a case management system,” he said, adding, “There should be the use of artificial intelligence (AI) so that the provision of justice to the people can be made easier.” 

Besides that, he went on to say, an Overseas Litigants Facilitation Cell (OLFC) had been set up to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis in accessing the apex court.  

The CJP expressed the hope that transparency in the judicial system would facilitate the provision of justice to the people. “I have cut down the number of cars, part of my security, from nine to two,” he said. 

He said he sought opinions from judges while framing the SC rules.  

He further said that 64 complaints filed against judges in the Supreme Judicial Council had been decided.

CJP inaugurates Facilitation Center

Later, the CJP inaugurated the Facilitation Center set up outside the SC building for litigants.

He also went round its different sections. Other judges were also present on the occasion.

CJP Yahya Afridi expressed the commitment to work together with the bar to ensure speedy and accessible justice.

The CJP mentioned that there were sixty thousand, six hundred and thirty-five cases pending in the Supreme Court a year ago. He said out of these, twenty-two thousand, eight hundred and 65 cases have been decided. The pendency has been brought down to fifty-six thousand, nine hundred and 43 cases.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan announced that any person who cannot afford a lawyer will be given free legal aid.

Highlighting the reforms introduced, Yahya Afridi said that technology has been used to reduce the backlog of cases while making the judicial delivery processes more citizen centric. He said the digitization of case files is underway and expected to be completed within six months.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan said a dedicated anti-corruption hotline has been established providing a secure and confidential platform for citizens to report incidents of corruption. Public facilitation centers have also been established at the principal seat and the registries.

Yahya Afridi said that the Supreme Court has also undergone an external audit and the issues highlighted are being addressed.  He said we have also initiated standardization of processes and quality assurance.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan said that rules, policies and guidelines have been made to make the functioning of this court more transparent, consistent and fairer to those it serves.

Expressing his views, Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan reaffirmed the commitment to uphold core values of justice, rule of law and constitutionalism.

The Attorney General said our primary function is to serve the ordinary litigant. He said it is our collective duty to help the litigants with kindness and empathy. He said transparency is possible through abiding by the law and constitution.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori