ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has amended the judicial code of conduct, allowing judges of the superior courts to attend political and diplomatic functions with prior approval from the relevant chief justice.
The revised code, approved during an SJC meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on June 11 and made public on Saturday, marks a significant relaxation of longstanding restrictions on judges’ participation in public events.
Under the amended provision, judges of the superior courts “would abstain from presiding over or attending any political and diplomatic functions except with the permission of the relevant chief justice.”
Previously, the code prohibited judges from presiding over or attending “social, cultural, political and diplomatic functions” without exception. The updated wording removes references to social and cultural events altogether, signaling a broader easing of restrictions on judges’ public engagements.
The amendments are part of a wider revision of the judicial code following recent constitutional reforms, including the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).
Reflecting these changes, the title of the code has been updated from “Code of Conduct for Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts” to “Code of Conduct for Judges of the Federal Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the High Courts.”
The SJC also revised several provisions related to judicial conduct and the reporting of attempts to influence court proceedings, formally incorporating the FCC into the framework governing Pakistan’s superior judiciary.
The Federal Constitutional Court was established under recent constitutional reforms to adjudicate constitutional matters that were previously heard by the Supreme Court.
