Constitutional Court Rules Registrar Cannot Reject Petitions as Inadmissible

ISLAMABAD:The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the court registrar has **no authority to declare constitutional petitions inadmissible or return them on that basis**, stating that only the court itself can determine whether a petition is maintainable.

Justice **Hassan Azhar Rizvi** issued a six-page written order while deciding a chamber appeal filed against objections raised by the registrar’s office.

The court held that the registrar’s office is limited to raising **administrative objections** and may only return a petition if it fails to comply with procedural rules. It cannot exercise judicial powers by deciding whether a petition is legally maintainable.

The judgment further stated that granting judicial authority to an administrative officer would violate the constitutional principle of the separation of powers. It also clarified that the registrar’s office cannot label a constitutional petition as frivolous or non-maintainable.

The ruling came in response to a chamber appeal filed by petitioner **Razia Aslam**, whose constitutional petition had been returned by the registrar’s office on **February 14** on the grounds that it was allegedly inadmissible. The Constitutional Court has now set out clear limits on the registrar’s authority in such matters.