The short order in the reserved seats case is here. A full bench of the Supreme Court, convening in its complete strength and majesty, issued a short order after weeks of grueling and, at times, circular arguments by counsels on both sides. Though not a unanimous decision, it had the commanding nod of eight honourable judges, including Senior Puisne Judge Mansoor Ali Shah. As held in the Qazi Faez Isa review judgment, “the judgment of the court is characterized as the judgment of the entire Bench, rather than of the majority judges.” Despite strongly worded dissents from other judges, the decision will be regarded as a full court decision, not merely the decision of eight judges of the Supreme Court.

In the background, while mainstream television was busy inviting legal experts to speculate on the much-anticipated judgment with its detailed reasoning, the Government launched its counterstrike. In a Pavlovian response, it attempted to neutralise the full court decision through a hastily prepared amendment to the Election Act, 2017.

The relevant part of the amendment bolsters a specific section that mandates candidates........

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