The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has ruled that it does not have the authority to hear appeals against final decisions made by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
In a written judgment issued on Thursday, Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan stated that the 27th Constitutional Amendment does not give the Federal Constitutional Court the power to review or supervise rulings made by the Supreme Court.
The court explained that the Constitution does not allow legal disputes to continue indefinitely. According to the judgment, every case must eventually reach a final decision so that the legal process can come to an end.
The ruling also clarified that disputes related to land compensation are considered private matters. Because of this, such cases do not fall under the special powers of Article 184(3) of the Constitution of Pakistan, which are meant only for issues of public importance rather than personal disputes.
The court rejected a review petition challenging the Supreme Court’s order issued on September 12, 2024. Chief Justice Khan said that once the Supreme Court gives a final decision, it cannot be reopened under the name of a corrective review.
Referring to Article 188 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the judgment noted that the right to review a decision is limited. If the Supreme Court rejects a review request, the case is considered closed.
The case was related to a land compensation dispute between the petitioner and the Multan Development Authority. The petitioner argued that a three-member bench of the Supreme Court had ruled in their favor in 2015, but that decision was later overturned by a two-member bench in 2022.
