News and Announcement

Guest lecture on Judicial Activism versus Judicial restraint by Justice(R) Khalil ur Rehman Ramday

UMT School of Law and Policy (SLP) hosted Justice (r) Khalil-ur-RehmanRamday for a guest lecture titled, ‘Judicial activism versus Judicial restraint in the context of Pakistan’ on Wednesday, 30 October, 2019. The audience included Dr. Muhammad Aslam [Rector, UMT], lawyers, permanent and visiting faculty of SLP, eminent journalists, and law students. The event was covered by Qanoondan.
Ms. Nyma Anwar Khan [Assistant Professor, SLP] began the event by welcoming Justice Ramday and the guests. She mentioned that SLP has a tradition of holding such events for its law students. She also briefed the audience on the importance of the topic. The floor was then given to Dr. Usman Hameed [Director, SLP], who warmly welcomed Justice Ramday and the participants of the lecture. Dr. Hameed delved into the importance of the topic and the repercussions of judicial activism. Before the lecture commenced, Dr. Hameed briefly mentioned the various academic and professional accomplishments of Justice Ramday.
Justice Ramday began by introducing the phrase ‘judicial activism’ and how it was coined in the first place in the US. He then provided a detailed history of judicial activism in Pakistan, referring to the Indian Constitution and the 1956 and 1973 Constitutions of Pakistan. He also discussed several landmark cases, including the Nusrat Bhutto case of 1977, Benazir Bhutto case of 1987, and the Darshan Masih case, which led to the enactment of the Punjab Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act 1992. He also mentioned the Shehla Zia case which, for the first time, discussed the fundamental right of life provided in the Constitution of Pakistan. Justice Ramday linked these cases to judicial activism, subsequently pointing out the importance of Art 184 (3) of the Constitution.
Towards the end of the lecture, he reiterated that judicial activism does not always have a negative impact and it is a tool in the hands of judiciary for the enforcement of fundamental rights of the citizens of the country. He ended his lecture by pointing out that all the judges have the discretion to utilize this tool in a judicious manner.
The lecture was followed by a Q&A session and was concluded by Dr. Muhammad Aslam. Dr. Aslam generously appreciated the efforts of Dr. Hameed and his team in organizing the event, and he further thanked Justice Ramday for taking time out of his busy schedule for the lecture.