ISLAMABAD: On Monday, Election (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed by President Asif Ali Zardari. This bill gives the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) the authority to assign retired high court judges to election tribunals.
The Elections Act of 2017 was amended to eliminate the need for the Chief Justices to confer with the ECP before designating retired judges to serve as election tribunals.
Section 140 of the Election Act 2017 was amended through the Election Amendment Bill.
A news release from the President House stated that following the modification, the chief justice of the relevant high court will be consulted in the event that a serving judge is appointed to an electoral tribunal.
Despite fierce opposition from the opposition lawmakers, the Election (Amendment) Bill 2024 was approved by the National Assembly on June 28 and the Senate on July 4.
In the ongoing dispute between the ECP and the LHC over the nomination of judges to the electoral tribunals pertaining to the polls on February 8, the Supreme Court had taken up an appeal by the election regulatory body.
The LHC ruled on May 29 that the LHC chief judge had priority over other justices when it came to appointing electoral tribunals under Section 140 of the Elections Act, 2017 in accordance with Article 219(c) read with Article 222(b) of the Constitution.
Subsequently, the LHC ruling and its announcement about the establishment of eight election tribunals in Punjab to hear election cases were placed on hold by the top court.
