ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has decided to expand media access to its premises to strengthen public awareness of judicial proceedings and institutional reforms.
The SC has decided that all journalists and media representatives holding valid press accreditation cards issued by any press club or the Press Information Department (PID) shall be granted access to the Supreme Court premises for reporting purposes from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on judicial working days. Previously, access for reporting purposes was primarily limited to accredited court reporters.
According to a press release issued here on Friday, the new arrangement aims to provide equal opportunities to all members of the media, enabling broader and more diverse coverage of matters relating to the administration of justice and the functioning of the Supreme Court.
Futhermore, the Supreme Court has issued a new notification announcing that all austerity measures will be withdrawn with effect from June 15, 2026. According to the notification, the earlier notification issued on March 10, 2026 has been revoked with immediate effect. Following this cancellation, all austerity measures adopted under the previous notification shall be deemed terminated. The formal implementation of the withdrawal of these measures will take effect from June 15. Copies of the notification have been sent to all relevant Supreme Court staff and branch in-charges for necessary action.
Likewise, the Federal Constitutional Court has also issued a notification revising its court and office hours at its Principal Seat and all benches located in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. The revised schedule shall come into effect from June 15, 2026.
Under the notification, issued with the approval of the Honourable Chief Justice, the Court shall observe a five-day working week (Monday to Friday). Under the revised schedule, court sittings from Monday to Thursday will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed by an interval from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., after which proceedings will resume from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On Fridays, court sittings will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Office hours will be observed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. On Fridays, a one-hour break for lunch and Juma prayers will be observed from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The notification further provides that, except for matters of an urgent nature, no matter shall be received within one hour of the closing time. The revised timings are intended to ensure the efficient functioning of the Court and to facilitate the smooth administration of constitutional justice across all registries and benches of the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan.
