The Supreme Court issued a notice on Tuesday to the Prosecutor’s Office in a petition presented by the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, challenging the rejection of the Superior Court of Lahore (LHC) of his bail after arrest in eight cases linked to the incidents of May 9.
A bank of three members of the Supreme Court, headed by the president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and comprising Judge Shafi Siddiqui and Judge Mian Gul Hassan Aurengzeb listened to the case.
The bank headed by the CJP Afridi observed that the court would not give any final finding that may affect the merits of the pending case.
The CJP Aphridi asked the defense and prosecution councils to help the court on the legal issue of whether the final observations can be done in a bond order.
He pointed out that the LHC had given a final opinion in its bail decision, raising the question of whether such findings were allowed.
Read: The heavyweights of PTI imprisoned for ‘attacks against state institutions’
Previously, LHC rejected the bail requests presented by the founder of PTI in eight cases linked to May 9, 2023, disturbances, which caused strong criticisms of the party, which described the ruling as a “spontaneous abortion of justice.”
The decision, pronounced by a two -members bank led by Judge Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, followed the conclusion of arguments of prosecution and defense.
Imran’s legal team had argued that the former prime minister was involved without credible evidence while he was already in custody and denied any participation in violence.
Before the Apex court on Tuesday, the lawyer of the Punjab government, Zulfiqar Naqvi, told the court that no notice had been issued in the matter, which the CJP said that the notice would be issued today.
When denying the request of PTI Sallman Safdar to prepare the hearing, the Court scheduled the hearing for August 19 according to the schedule.
The protests on May 9, 2023 exploded throughout the country after Imran’s arrest for the facilities of the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC), where it appeared for a hearing in relation to a graft case. Several civil and military facilities were damaged during the following protests and chaos.
Imran, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 after multiple convictions, remains a central figure in Pakistani politics despite his expulsion in April 2022 through a vote without confidence. Several leaders and workers of PTI remain imprisoned by the incidents of May 9, while others have been awarded.
