Islamabad: Justice Salahuddin Panhwar recused himself, leading to the dissolution of the bench during the hearing of review case concerning reserved seats at the Supreme Court.

At the outset of the hearing, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar emphasized the importance of maintaining public confidence in the judiciary and stated that no party should object to the bench.

He explained that lawyer Hamid Khan had raised objections regarding the inclusion of certain judges in the bench, specifically those who joined after the 26th Amendment. Justice Salahuddin clarified that he would be part of the bench but preferred to read a brief statement instead of participating further.

Addressing lawyer Hamid Khan, Justice Salahuddin said that the objection was related to the inclusion of certain judges in the bench, although he had a personal association with them since 2010. He added that allegations of bias had been made against the judges, which had caused hurt feelings and created an impression among the public that the judges were biased — a notion he refuted.

Lawyer Hamid Khan appreciated the court’s action in this regard. However, Justice Amin-ud-din remarked that this was not a matter to be congratulated on, as the court was still hearing the same case. Subsequently, Justice Jamal Mandokhel told Hamid Khan that the situation arose due to his conduct and that although the court had given him an opportunity to present arguments, his behavior was inappropriate.

The court then adjourned the hearing for 10 minutes.