ISLAMABAD: Religious scholar and former Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Wednesday approached the top court against the rejection of bail plea by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Hajj corruption case. Earlier on July 4 of this year, a single IHC bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi dismissed petitioner’s bail application ruling that the applicant had not yet undergone a substantive portion of the sentence. According to the sentence awarded by a trial court in the Hajj scam, the former minister is currently serving two convictions each comprising 6-years under Section 409/34 of Pakistan Penal Code and under Section 5(2)47 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 respectively at Adiala Jail. However, the petition under Article 185(3) of the constitution filed by Sardar Latif Khosa on behalf of petitioner stated that the petitioner has served out the sentence of 3 years, 8 months and 4 days out of the total sentence of 6 years in one conviction awarded to him by the trial court. He contended that the observation of IHC that the petitioner has not undergone substantive portion of his sentence is not factually and legally correct because the petitioner has served out more than half of the sentence awarded to him by the trial court. The petition stated that on this ground alone, the petitioner could be allowed bail by suspension of operation of sentence because if ultimately the petitioner is acquitted by the IHC no reparation could be offered for the anguish and mental torture the petitioner suffered in jail for years. He submitted that the order of the IHC was against the law and a result of misreading of the record, which needs to be set aside by this apex court. He prayed the apex court to grant leave to appeal against the judgment of IHC, wherein it dismissed the bail application of Hameed Saeed Kazmi in Hajj corruption case.