In a move billed by its sponsors as reaffirming parliament’s supremacy, a process has been initiated to amend a Senate rule to limit the scope for high courts to intervene in parliamentary affairs.
Amid opposition from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges has approved an amendment to Rule 166(5) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate. Backers say the change will leave no legal room for the judiciary to interfere in parliamentary matters by relying on the rule in its present form. The proposed amendment, spearheaded by former deputy chairman Saleem Mandviwalla and signed by around three dozen lawmakers, expands the definition of public petitions that can be taken up by Senate committees.