SC orders trial courts to decide May 9 cases in four months

CJ Yahya notes that as Chief Justice of PHC, trial for Mashal Khan lynching case was completed within three months.

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The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed trial courts to conclude cases related to the events of May 9 within four months.

A three-member bench convened on Tuesday and headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi issued the order while hearing bail cancellation appeals in connection with the May 9 incidents.

The directive aims to expedite proceedings amid concerns over delays in politically sensitive trials, Express News reported.

During the hearing, one defence lawyer expressed concern about the feasibility of completing trials in such a short period, stating that his client faced 35 separate cases.

Chief Justice Yahya Khan responded by citing the Mashal Khan lynching case, noting that as then Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, the trial had been completed within three months. He asserted that anti-terrorism courts were capable of timely adjudication.

The Supreme Court had also issued similar instructions a day earlier in separate bail-related appeals filed by the Punjab government, urging lower courts to finalise verdicts within three months.

The court’s latest directive underlines the judiciary’s push for timely justice and efficient handling of high-profile cases.

In February it was announced that a five-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court will take up the petitions filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founding chairman Imran Khan and others for a judicial inquiry into the violent incidents on May 9, 2023 and investigation into the alleged rigging in the last year's general elections.

The bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan will conduct the hearing of both the petitions. Imran's petition for May 9 investigation was filed in December last year.

Imran and Sher Afzal Marwat had filed the petition for investigation into the election rigging allegations in February last year.