LHC’s order on RO suspended by the Supreme Court
After thorough consideration of measures to prevent delays in the scheduled general elections, the Supreme Court, on Friday evening, halted the Lahore High Court’s electoral order. This decision, endorsed by a three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justices Sardar Tariq and Mansoor Ali Shah, addressed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) appeal against the LHC’s order, which had suspended the training of district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs).
During the court proceedings, CJP Isa emphasized that the ECP should execute its responsibilities independently, stating, “The election commission should do its job, we will not micromanage you.” The Supreme Court’s ruling on the ECP’s petition directed that the Lahore High Court refrain from further hearings on petitions related to the appointment of polling officers, and any matters on this issue should be brought before the Supreme Court.
Earlier in the week, Justice Ali Baqir Najafi of the Lahore High Court had suspended the ECP’s decision to appoint election staff, including ROs, from the bureaucracy.
Contempt of court notice
Chief Justice Isa, while announcing the Supreme Court’s decision, also issued a contempt of court notice to the PTI lawyer, demanding an explanation as to why proceedings should not be initiated against him.
Barrister Umair Niazi, representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been served with a contempt of court notice by the Pakistan Supreme Court. This action comes in response to the petition filed by Barrister Niazi, advocating for the appointment of Returning Officers (ROs) and District Returning Officers (DROs) from the judiciary rather than the executive branch.
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On December 11, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) granted approval for the selection of Returning Officers (ROs) and District Returning Officers (DROs) for the upcoming general elections.
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) then filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, contesting the appointment of bureaucrats by the caretaker provincial government in Punjab to serve as Returning Officers (ROs) in the upcoming general elections.