ISLAMABAD:three newly-appointed judges of the Supreme Court were sworn in by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial at the SC Ceremonial Hall in Islamabad on Friday. The judges who were elevated to the Supreme Court were Justice Athar Mohallah, Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court; Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Judge of Sindh High Court; and Justice Shahid Waheed, Judge of Lahore High Court. The total strength of the apex court judges now becomes 15.
The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Ceremonial Hall, Supreme Court of Pakistan, in Islamabad. Two seats of the Supreme Court judges, however, are still lying vacant. A large number of guests including judges of Supreme Court, Attorney General for Pakistan, secretaries of Ministry of Law and Justice, officials of Federal Judicial Academy, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan and Pakistan Bar Council, National Accountability Court, Supreme Court Bar Association, senior advocates, advocates-on-record and officers and staff of the apex court.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, being the chairman of the commission, had approved the elevation of three judges of high courts to the Supreme Court.