Larger bench sought to hear retrial petitions

LAHORE:

A division bench of Lahore High Court referred to the chief justice for the constitution of a larger bench to hear two identical petitions seeking reopening of cases of Ghazi Ilmuddin and Bhagat Singh.

The petitions came up for hearing before Justice Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. The bench observed that during a previous hearing it had directed the matter to be referred to the chief justice for constitution of a large bench to take up the matter.

The bench summoned Deputy Secretary Shabbir Shah and asked him why it had not been referred to the chief justice. He said that the petition had been fixed for hearing before the bench by mistake. He said he would refer it to the chief justice.

Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi of Save Judiciary Committee had filed an application requesting early hearing of the two petitions.

He said a single bench headed by Justice Shujaat Ali Khan on May 24, 2015 had sent these petitions to the chief justice and requested him to constitute a larger bench for hearing. He said six months had passed but the larger bench had not been formed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2016.