SC Judges Mansoor Ali Shah, Yahya Afridi facepalm together during reserved seats case hearing

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team watched the complete June 27, 2024, live stream of the Supreme Court hearing and analysed the physical gestures of Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Yahya Afridi.

Multiple posts circulating on social media platform X on June 27, right during and after the Supreme Court hearing on the reserved seats case, claimed that Justices Shah and Afridi facepalmed together during the hearing due to multiple reasons. However, the video footage does not show any such instance.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the reserved seats case which concerns a petition filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) — which was joined by PTI-backed independent lawmakers — against a Peshawar High Court decision to deny it reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

HOW IT STARTED

On June 27, 2024, a picture was shared by a PTI supporter that showed Justices Shah and Afridi facepalming together.

The caption said, “These were the expressions of the judges when they heard the arguments of the ECP’s (Election Commission of Pakistan) lawyer.”

A similar caption and post by another PTI supporter gained over 84,000 views.

Meanwhile, another user alleged that the facepalms by the two judges were related to the chief justice’s conduct.

The photo was also shared with similar captions here, here, here, here and here. The posts gained over 80,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the matter since the claim pertained to the judiciary during a matter that commands significant national and political attention.

The complete June 27 YouTube live stream of the Supreme Court was examined and analysed to trace the alleged moment of the two judges facepalming.

Closely observing the gestures and expressions of the two judges during the live stream, it was noted that at different times, the judges did facepalm or placed their hands on their heads but never together as in the viral image.

The specific scenario depicted in the shared image and its many accompanying captions was not shown in the footage during the arguments of the ECP lawyer or when the chief justice was talking.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding Supreme Court Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Yahya Afridi facepalming together in the reserved seats case hearing is false.

Visual evidence shows the two judges did not place their hands on their heads together as the viral picture shows during arguments by the ECP lawyer or during the chief justice speaking.

Evidence and References

June 27, 2024, live streaming of SC hearing on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcHBUzBhUms