SC approves live streaming of petitions challenging 26th Amendment 

Islamabad (Web Desk): The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday granted permission for live streaming the proceedings on petitions contesting the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
The move came as an eight-judge Constitutional Bench, led by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, resumed deliberations after a nine-month hiatus.

“This is a major matter, and we are all serving the nation. Everything will be conducted in an orderly way,” Justice Amin-ud-Din remarked while announcing the bench’s unanimous approval to broadcast the session on the Supreme Court’s official YouTube channel.

Joining him on the bench are Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.

The case stems from petitions submitted in October 2024 by several political and legal bodies, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), various bar councils, and former presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

The amendment in question grants Parliament the authority to appoint the chief justice, specifies the tenure for the position, and provides a mechanism for forming constitutional benches.

During the session, lawyer Shahid Jamil—representing former lawmaker Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar—objected to procedural delays and urged the court to take up their chamber appeal. The bench instructed the registrar’s office to assign a case number to the petition for hearing.

In another argument, Khawaja Ahmed, counsel for former chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, requested that the discussion about forming a full court bench be streamed live to ensure transparency and public understanding.

Justice Amin-ud-Din, however, maintained that the issue of the bench’s composition was an internal judicial matter, not one of public interest.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, weighing in on the debate, observed that while the court intended to use live streaming as a tool for public education, it had sometimes ended up exposing the institution instead.

Responding to Justice Ayesha Malik’s inquiry about the government’s stance, Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman stated that live streaming was an administrative decision.

After hearing all sides, the Supreme Court approved live transmission of the proceedings and adjourned the case until 11:30am on Wednesday.