The establishment of a judicial inquiry commission to look into the audio leaks involving judges has been contested, and the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Umar Ata Bandial, has convened a five-member bigger bench to hear the case.



The larger bench includes CJP Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Shahid Waheed. On May 26, the bench will take up the issues.

Several parties, including the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), and other prominent solicitors, have filed the challenges. They have contested the legitimacy and constitutionality of the inquiry commission, which is presided over by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a senior puisne judge.

Justice Gulzar Ahmed, a former Chief Justice of Pakistan, established the inquiry commission on April 19 to look into the audio leaks that surfaced on social media in March and were purported to be talks between several judges and other people. The integrity and independence of the judiciary have come into question as a result of the audio leaks.

The opponents have argued that the investigation commission has broken the law in terms of the constitution, the judges' code of conduct, and the separation of powers. They have also claimed that Justice Isa, who is in charge of the commission and is under investigation by the president for allegedly concealing his foreign holdings, has a conflict of interest.

The challengers have asked the top court to invalidate the inquiry committee and prevent it from proceeding or from submitting any reports. They have also requested that the audio leaks be the subject of a trustworthy agency or authority's independent and unbiased investigation.