Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa maintained on Monday that transparency in the apex court has improved significantly, stating that past practices of predicting case outcomes based on the "bench composition" no longer exist. Speaking at a full court reference marking the start of the new judicial year on Monday, CJP Isa remarked, “Previously, it was common to predict the outcome of a case just by looking at the bench". "Now, even I do not know which judges will sit alongside me for a case," he continued.
In his address, the CJP outlined several reforms aimed at enhancing the judicial process, including the live broadcasting of hearings. He noted that the decision to air cases of public interest was made to provide direct access to court proceedings. “The purpose of live transmission was to show our performance to the public.
Before this, people only knew what TV channels or YouTubers reported,” he explained. The first case broadcast live, he pointed out, was the , which was heard by the full court. The ruling led to a transfer of powers from the Chief Justice to a panel of three judges.
Chief Justice Isa also highlighted changes in court procedures, including the approval of the cause list. “Previously, the Chief Justice would approve the cause list every Thursday, and had the authority to modify it". "That power has now been abolished, and it is now the Registrar’s responsibility to schedule cases for hearings.
The cause list no longer comes to the Chie.