Islamabad: Justice Umar Ata Bandial was sworn in as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace here on Wednesday.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi administered the oath to Justice Bandial in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and senior civil and military officials also attended the ceremony. "President Dr. Arif Alvi administered the oath of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to Justice Umar Ata Bandial, at Aiwan-e-Sadr,” the president's office said in a tweet.
Justice Bandial, 63, will serve in the top judicial office until September 16, 2023. He has previously served as the chief justice of the Lahore High Court. A day earlier, Justice Bandial, while speaking at a full-court reference held in honour of the outgoing chief justice Gulzar Ahmed, criticised the mainstream and social media for resorting to attacking judges rather than criticising their judgments.
"The differences in judges' opinions in matters of law arise from our individual perceptions and this diversity brings richness to our understanding, he said. Later, at his first appearance in a courtroom as the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Bandial interacted with lawyers.
"We need to lighten the burden of pending cases. Lawyers should come prepared and avoid seeking extensions," he said. The lawyers welcomed and congratulated the newly appointed top judge, Geo News reported. Justice Bandial received a law degree from the University of Cambridge in 1981 and was elevated to the rank of a judge of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in 2004. He also served as chief justice of the LHC. Later, he was elevated to a judge of the Supreme Court in June 2014.
(PTI)
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