IHC ruling on jail trial in cypher case today

CJ Farooq will also hear PTI chief’s bail plea

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) would announce its reserved ruling on Monday (today) on a petition of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against the hearing of the cypher case inside jail premises, according to the cause list issued by the court registrar on Sunday.

As per the cause list, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq would also hear Imran’s post-arrest bail application. The court had also issued notices, seeking replies on Monday on another petition by Imran seeking exemption from the cypher case proceedings under Article 248 of the Constitution.

During the hearing of Imran’s bail application in the cypher case, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor would present his arguments. The lawyers for the petitioner had already completed their arguments.

The cypher case pertained to a document waved by Imran, then the prime minister, at a public rally in March last year, terming it an evidence of a foreign conspiracy behind the no-confidence motion he faced at that time. The motion was carried a few weeks later and Imran’s government ended.

The IHC last week, clubbed Imran’s other petitions, seeking dismissal of the case and stopping his trial by the Special Court, established under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). On Saturday, the PTI chairman filed another plea in the IHC seeking exemption under the Article 248.

In the petition, it was stated that the Section 5 of the OSA did not apply to the cypher case. The court had issued a notice to the FIA and sought its response by Monday (today). The court also clubbed the petition with Imran’s other pleas against the case.

Meanwhile, the Special Court would also hold hearing of the case in the Adiala Jail on Tuesday (tomorrow). On the previous hearing, the court had ordered that the accused, Imran and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, would be indicted in the cypher case on October 17.