ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has called the first meeting of the Judicial Commission on Nov 6 to make the body operational and initiate the process of filling existing and anticipated vacancies of judges in superior courts.

At the same time, the chief justice took note of media reports that nominations forwarded by different bar councils were controversial since these were made without holding proper meetings.

On Thursday, the Pakistan Bar Council had nominated former law minister Dr Khalid Ranjha as member of the JC after holding a ballot in haste.

Similarly, Sindh and Balochistan bar councils have nominated Yasin Khan Babar and Kamran Mulla Khel respectively to represent them in the JC. Letters have been written to chairmen, vice-chairmen and secretaries of the provincial bar councils to make clear to them that compliance with Article 175-A of the Constitution, which requires nomination of a senior advocate as member of the JC, was unavoidable. Copies of the letters have been sent to the chief justices of high courts.

Legal observers are of the opinion that the JC meeting may take a decision on a replacement in the Supreme Court for Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffer as he will attain superannuation on Nov 20.

The commission is also likely to deliberate on the matter of 32 additional judges of four high courts who have completed their tenure but continue to function as judges because of a stay granted by the Supreme Court during the pendency of petitions challenging the 18th Amendment.

The meeting may also discuss the appointment of judges to the newly-established Islamabad High Court. The National Assembly had on May 11 this year adopted a bill for the establishment of a seven-judge IHC under the 18th Amendment.

The IHC was originally set up through an ordinance under the Nov 3, 2007, emergency proclamation of the then president Pervez Musharraf, but it ceased to exist after the Supreme Court had on July 31 last year declared the emergency unconstitutional. After an interim short order by the Supreme Court on challenges to the 18th Amendment, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has formed the JC under Article 175-A of the Constitution. It has replaced the old system of appointment of superior court judges.

The chief justice is chairman of the commission. It comprises two senior judges of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice or former judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the chief justice, federal law minister, attorney general and a senior advocate nominated by the PBC for two years.