The law paves way for the establishment of a panel of three senior-most judges of the apex court, including the chief justice, to fix benches for taking up different cases.

According to the Assembly Secretariat, the bill has now come into force in the form of a law.

On Wednesday, President Dr Arif Alvi refused to sign the bill for the second time, observing that the matter was sub judice before the apex court.

The bill was approved by the federal cabinet on March 28 and then passed by both houses of parliament — the National Assembly and the Senate.

As per the Constitution, in case of the bill not being signed by him within 10 days, his assent would have been deemed granted.

On April 13, the top court, in an “anticipatory injunction”, barred the government from enforcing the law.

An eight-member Supreme Court of Pakistan bench heard petitions against the upcoming law on Thursday and adjourned for an indefinite period after issuing notices to political parties, the Pakistan Bar Council, and the Supreme Court Bar Association.

However, in the written order issued later in the day the court suspended the law after admitting that “ordinarily the provisions of a law cannot be suspended because this Court can only suspend a particular order, judgment or action.”