Top court puts Imran's bail on the docket

Three-member bench to take up case on August 12

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court has scheduled for August 12 the hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan's bail petitions in cases related to the May 9 riots.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, will take up the case.

The apex court had earlier deferred the hearing of the incarcerated ex-premier's bail applications in eight May 9 cases until August 12, without issuing notices as sought by his counsel.

In November 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court refused to grant Imran bail in cases linked to the May 9, 2023 riots, which included an attack on the Lahore corps commander's residence.

His subsequent challenge to that decision was dismissed by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on June 24.

The former premier approached the apex court to contest the LHC's rejection of his bail pleas. The appeal, filed by senior lawyer Salman Safdar, argued that Imran had been accused of "conspiring and abetting violence on May 9".

It maintained that at the time of the alleged incidents, Imran was in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau, making his involvement in the unrest "impossible".

The petition further alleged that the PTI founder had faced an "unprecedented campaign of political victimisation" since his removal from office two years earlier.

Challenging the LHC's verdict, the petition claimed the court had relied on "engineered and fabricated evidence," including "stale, discredited and delayed statements of police officials".

Meanwhile, the top court has constituted four benches for its Islamabad Registry, two for the Peshawar Registry and two for the Lahore Registry for the upcoming judicial week.

The three-member bench, led by CJ Afridi and comprising Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, will take up Imran's bail pleas on August 12.

The SC Registrar's Office has issued the cause list for hearings in eight appeals and sent notices to the incarcerated PTI founder's legal team.

Separately, the cause list and judges' roster for next week have also been released. In the Peshawar Registry, two benches will hear cases. The first, headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, will include Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shakeel Ahmad.

The second will comprise Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim.

For the Lahore Registry, two benches have been formed. The first consists of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha Malik, while the second includes Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.

Both benches will hear cases filed at the Lahore Registry.

At the Islamabad Registry, four benches have been set up. The first comprises CJ Yahya Afridi, Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb. The second consists of Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.

The third includes Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, while the fourth comprises Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad and Justice Salahuddin Panhwar.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, CJ Yahya Afridi visited the Polyclinic Hospital for a medical check-up, where he underwent an eye examination.