Who is the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial?

Umar Ata Bandial: He was born in Lahore and is the current 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan. President Dr. Arif Alvi approved the appointment of Umar Ata Bandilal as the new Chief Justice of the country in January 2022. He assumed his office in February 2022. Since June 2014, he has been a Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. From June 2012 to June 2014, he served as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court. As per reports, he will serve as the Chief Justice of Pakistan from February 2022 until his retirement in September 2023.

Reportedly, on April 3, 2022, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandilal said that "all orders and actions initiated by the prime minister and president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court's order."

The current situation in the country was taken notice of by the chief justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandilal, following the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan by the National Assembly.

Due to the ongoing political chaos in Pakistan, the Supreme Court formed a five-member larger bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandilal, to oversee the situation in the National Assembly. Among those who reached the top court was Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan, the members of PTI, and the opposition. Read more about Justice Bandilal.

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About Umar Ata Bandial

As per reports, Justice Bandilal received his Senior Cambridge certificate from St. Mary's Academy, Rawalpindi, in 1973. In 1975, he received his Higher Senior Cambridge certificate after enrolling in Aitchison College, Lahore. In 1979, he earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Columbia University, and in 1981, he received a Law Tripos degree from the University of Cambridge. He qualified as a barrister-at-law at Lincoln's Inn, London. 

In around 1983, he joined the High Court at Lahore and also taught torts law and contract law at the Punjab University Law College in Lahore until 1987. After this, he was made Judge of the Lahore High Court. After a few years, he was appointed to the Pakistan Supreme Court.

He presided over various cases as a judge of the Lahore High Court related to constitutional rights, civil and commercial disputes, and the public interest. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court in June 2012. He served in that post until he was appointed as a Supreme Court Judge in June 2014. 

In January 2022, President Arif Alvi approved Justice Bandial's appointment as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. In February 2022, he was sworn in at a ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr. 

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