ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Registrar’s Office has refused to receive a petition challenging the 27th Constitutional Amendment, stating that petitions of this nature can be filed before the Federal Constitutional Court.
The 27th Amendment had been challenged by former Justice Shabbir Raza Rizvi. In the petition, it was argued that Pakistan’s Constitution was framed by the Constituent Assembly, which had declared the Supreme Court the highest court under the 1973 Constitution.
The petition maintained that the current assembly could not be considered a Constituent Assembly and that the basic features of the Constitution could not be altered.
It further argued that granting lifetime immunity to any individual was not permissible in an Islamic state, while judicial independence was directly linked to the appointment of judges. The petition claimed that the 27th Amendment had effectively violated the Constitution.
The petitioner requested the Supreme Court to declare the 27th Constitutional Amendment null and void and also strike down the lifetime immunity granted under Article 248.
The Supreme Court Registrar’s Office had previously also refused to receive another petition challenging the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
