ISLAMABAD: In a significant judicial ruling, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has declared that it no longer has the authority to hear appeals and bail petitions filed under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law. The court ordered that all pending NAB-related cases be transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which will now hear and decide these matters under the amended legal framework.
The decision was announced by a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar. The bench held that Sections 32 and 32A of the amended NAB law do not grant the Supreme Court jurisdiction over NAB appeals or bail applications. Instead, the matters now fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court in line with Articles 175A and 175F of the Constitution.
With this ruling, all pending criminal appeals and bail petitions under the NAB law will automatically stand transferred to the FCC. The judgment is expected to reshape the handling of accountability cases in Pakistan, including several high-profile matters currently awaiting decisions.
Legal experts say the ruling settles the jurisdictional dispute created after recent amendments to the accountability law and clarifies that the Federal Constitutional Court will now serve as the primary forum for appeals and bail petitions in NAB cases
