Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting at the Supreme Court to review progress on judicial reforms under the Reform Action Plan, according to an official announcement.
The meeting reviewed the court’s monthly performance and was informed that all targets related to e-filing and the issuance of certified copies have been successfully achieved. Officials said the case categorization process is currently underway and is expected to be completed within the next two months, while a barcoding system for file tracking will be finalized within 15 days.
The Chief Justice was briefed that at the time he assumed office, 384 death penalty cases were pending before the Supreme Court. That number has now been reduced to 107. Over the past year, 449 death penalty cases were disposed of, while 172 new cases were filed during the same period.
The meeting decided that all remaining death penalty appeals will be disposed of within the next 45 days. Life imprisonment cases are also being scheduled simultaneously. Officials reported that the number of pending life imprisonment cases has decreased from 4,160 to 3,608.
It was further decided that jail petitions filed by prisoners above 80 years of age will be fixed on a priority basis. The meeting also agreed that information regarding case delisting will generally be provided 48 hours in advance. Requests for early hearings that meet the prescribed criteria will be fixed directly.
Participants were informed that the proposed cause list will now be issued one month in advance. Record digitization has been completed, the Public Facilitation Center is operational, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), mediation, and e-payment initiatives are in progress.
According to the announcement, standardization and quality assurance measures are expected to be completed by August 30, 2026.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi emphasized that timely provision of justice is both a constitutional and moral obligation.
