Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday filed another appeal before the Supreme Court seeking to stop his trial in the Toshakhana criminal case.

The PTI chief stated in his plea that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had not stopped the lower court from proceeding in the criminal case while continued hearing his appeals. Once the trial was completed then his appeals in the high court would become ineffective, he said, adding that the high court should have issued an order regarding rejection or acceptance of his request for a stay order.

The PTI chief’s legal team also filed a miscellaneous application seeking to fix the said case for hearing on August 1.

Meanwhile, a miscellaneous application has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking to form a full court bench for hearing cases pertaining to the trial of civilians by military army courts. Petitioner Kramat Ali, in his plea moved through his lawyer Faisal Saddiqui Advocate, stated that a similar case was also heard by a nine-member bench or full court and its decision was accepted. The Federal Government had also prayed to form a full court bench into the matter but the request was rejected, he added.

The petitioner prayed the court to form a full court bench containing all available judges and fix the case before it for further hearing, adding the Attorney General for Pakistan had already assured the court that the trials of the civilian accused had not started yet by the military courts. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on disposed of a contempt of court case against Justice Qazi Faez Isa after the petition was withdrawn.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial conducted in chamber hearing in the case, filed by Riaz Hanif Rahi Advocate. Earlier, the Registrar Office had raised various objections against the petition and the petitioner had filed an in chamber appeal against it.

The petitioner had filed the case seeking contempt of court proceeding against SC’s judge for running proceeding on audio tapes inquiry commission. However, the petitioner prayed the court to grant permission to withdraw his case which was accepted by the chief justice. The court subsequently disposed of the case.