Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has said that the Access to Information Act does not apply to us, but Article 19A applies to us.
The Supreme Court while accepting the petitioner’s appeal against the decision of the Islamabad High Court under Article 19A has directed the Registrar Supreme Court to provide the details of the employees to the petitioner within 7 days.
The Supreme Court issued an appeal ruling on the provision of information under the Access to Information Act, delivered by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faiz Isa.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court has declared that the Access to Information Act does not apply to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has directed the petitioner under Article 19A to provide the details of the employees of the Supreme Court within 7 days.
The judgment pronounced in the open court further stated that the person requesting the information is required to give reasons. Similarly, the information provider is also bound to assess the reasons. The judgment further directed that the petitioner be refunded the fees deposited for the intra-court appeal and the appeal to the Supreme Court.
Justice Athar Minullah has also written an additional note in the judgment. The court declared that the detailed judgment will be issued in Urdu as well.
It should be noted that the petitioner named Mukhtar Ahmed had demanded to provide the details of the employees of the Supreme Court under the Access to Information Act. After the refusal of the Registrar Supreme Court, the petitioner approached the Information Commission. The Information Commission had directed the Registrar to provide the information to the Supreme Court, which was challenged in the Islamabad High Court.
The Islamabad High Court ruled against the Information Commission, which was challenged by the petitioner in the Supreme Court. The petitioners were not present in the courtroom when the verdict was pronounced today.
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