ATC adjourns May 9 riot cases till May 3

A special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday adjourned the hearing of 13 cases related to the May 9 riots until May 3.

In three of these cases, Judge Amjad Ali Shah distributed charge-sheet copies to all present accused, including former law minister Raja Muhammad Basharat and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan. Formal charges are expected to be framed in these cases on the next hearing date.

The hearings were held at the District Courts Complex, as the planned jail trial was cancelled for the sixth time. Since February 25, jail trials in the May 9 cases have been repeatedly postponed.

A large number of accused, including former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Omar Ayub, appeared before the court. The judge also ordered the submission of charge sheets in other pending cases.