Supreme Court Grants Relief to Imran Khan in Eight May 9 Cases
The Supreme Court (SC) has granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan in eight May 9 cases.Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court (SC) reconstituted the bench hearing Imran Khan’s bail cases.
According to details, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb has been replaced by Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi. The three-member bench is now headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and also includes Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shafi Siddiqui.
The reconstituted bench resumed hearing Khan’s bail cases related to the May 9 riots today.
During the proceedings, Chief Justice Afridi asked Special Prosecutor Punjab Zulfiqar Naqvi whether he had reviewed the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision and if a final finding could be given in the bail matter.
He further questioned whether the principle of continuity would not apply in this case since the Supreme Court had earlier granted bail to some accused in similar conspiracy allegations.
The Chief Justice remarked that the bench would not allow arguments on the merits of the case, directing the prosecutor to confine his arguments to legal questions regarding conspiracy.
“Show us a case where the Supreme Court has rejected bail on conspiracy charges,” Justice Afridi said, adding that the apex court had already granted bail in three such cases.
He further instructed the prosecutor to distinguish his case from others, to which Zulfiqar Naqvi replied that the LHC’s decision carried interim observations and that Ejaz Chaudhry’s case was different from Imran Khan’s.
However, the Chief Justice observed that the Supreme Court had indeed granted bail to Ejaz Chaudhry on conspiracy allegations, citing three similar precedents. The court later took a recess in the proceedings.
It is also pertinent to mention that today’s hearing came after the case was twice adjourned without any progress. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Afridi postponed the matter when Special Prosecutor Naqvi fell ill due to food poisoning.
Earlier, the bench comprised Chief Justice Afridi, Justice Shafi Siddiqui, and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, before the recent reshuffle.
