Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday witnessed a light moment when Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani made a witty reference to the 27th Constitutional Amendment while hearing a case related to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII).
During the hearing, Justice Kayani observed that since the 27th Amendment was in the works, the CII could also have taken the opportunity to expand its authority. The council could have sent its proposals – perhaps its powers would also have been strengthened, he joked.
The court noted that it could decide the case within the current month, noting that after the passage of the 27th Amendment, even the court’s own jurisdiction in certain cases may no longer remain intact.
Justice Kayani asked the CII representative whether the body was advisory only and who had approached it for an opinion on the matter. He noted that any action by the court could set a new trend in the country, stressing that Parliament has the legislative power.
The court asked whether the CII could offer advice to anyone other than the legislature, the president or a provincial governor. Officials representing CII replied that only the chairman could answer that question, but since the chairmanship was vacant, they sought more time.
