Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition, against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and others for inciting people against state institutions, over its withdrawal.

A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar and Justice Munib Akhtar heard the petition filed by Advocate Qosain Faisal.

At the outset of hearing, the petitioner withdrew his petition after which the court dismissed it. The same bench while hearing another petition seeking to formulate a code of conduct for speeches by political leaders directed the Office to club all such petitions.

Syed Ibn-e-Hussain had filed a petition seeking preparation of code of conduct prohibiting institutional defamation. Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan said a number of applications regarding the code of conduct were pending and the court would hear the current petition with them. Later, hearing of the case was adjourned till date in office.

Ittefaq Sugar Mills: The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned hearing of case regarding relocation of Ittefaq Sugar Mills over adjournment plea filed by counsel Khawaja Tariq Raheem.

A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case filed by the Punjab government against Ittefaq Sugar Mills Limited, Lahore against permission to establish sugar mills in cotton growing areas. During the course of proceedings, Advocate Khawaja Tariq Raheem counsel for Ittefaq Sugar Mills submitted written application and sought adjournment of hearing due to his illness. The court accepted the adjournment plea and stated that the case had been pending for a long time. The case could not be put pending for long time, it added.

The court remarked that if the counsel was not available at the next hearing, Ittefaq Sugar Mill should arrange for an alternate counsel. Subsequently, hearing of the case was adjourned for next week.

Reko Diq: The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the Balochistan High Court’s (BHC) order and also dismissed bails granted to the accused.

A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the case against the BHC’s verdict of awarding bails to the accused. During the course of proceedings, the court barred the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting the accused for 60 days.

The Chief Justice said that two accused were granted bail after arrest and eight others were awarded bail before arrest by the BHC without a solid reason. He said that the parameters for bail had changed and without reviewing the facts, the bail could not be granted to the accused.

He said that the court was not sending the accused to jail, but sending them to relevant forum for the verdict. The authority to grant bail was now with the Accountability Court after the amendments in the NAB laws, he added.

Setting aside the verdict of BHC in Reko Diq corruption case, the court directed the accused to contact the Accountability Court within 60 days and barred the NAB from arresting the accused during the said period.