ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday introduced ‘The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2024,’ which seeks to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court from 17 to 23.
The bill, presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Daniyal Chaudhry, proposes an amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1997. Under the amendment, the total number of judges, including the Chief Justice, will be raised to 23, up from the current 17.
Currently, the Supreme Court consists of 16 judges plus the Chief Justice. The government did not raise any objections to the bill’s introduction.
However, opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai voiced his opposition and highlighted a quorum issue in the assembly.
The bill has been referred to the relevant standing committee for further consideration.
