ISLAMABAD, Sep 8 (Alliance News): Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi said on Monday that the National Judicial Policymaking Committee will meet on October 17 to take up key judicial matters, including the issue of missing persons.
Addressing the Judicial Conference in Islamabad, attended by Supreme Court and high court judges, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, and representatives of the bar, the chief justice said the Supreme Court will soon begin scheduling cases using artificial intelligence, though he admitted that the judiciary is not fully ready for its immediate use.
He stressed that transparency, speedy case disposal, and technology-driven reforms were central to his vision of an efficient judiciary.
The top judge said the court was moving towards a paperless system, with case registration, records, and copies of judgments already available online, while a facilitation centre would become fully operational from October 1.
He added that 61,000 files were being scanned digitally, a project expected to be completed in six months.
Justice Afridi said the Supreme Judicial Council had decided 64 complaints against judges, while 72 were under consideration and 65 cases remained pending. He clarified that cases would be addressed on a first-come, first-served basis.
He also announced reforms in case management, transparency in rules, and internal audits. On security, he said protection for himself and other judges had been reduced, with his own security convoy cut down from nine vehicles to two.
The chief justice said he had visited remote areas to assess the justice system and stressed that judicial challenges across the country must be addressed.
Representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association, and the Attorney General praised the reform measures, including the use of e-filing, video link hearings, internet facilities in remote areas, and reduction in pending cases.
They supported the use of artificial intelligence to improve judicial efficiency but also called for further steps to ease case scheduling for litigants.
