LHC irked over prosecution's failure to submit record

Bench questions three-month delay in compliance with court order

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday expressed strong displeasure over the prosecution's failure to submit the case record in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ejaz Chaudhry's bail petition, filed in connection with the May 9 riot cases.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi took up the plea. During the proceedings, the Additional Prosecutor General informed the court that he did not have the required record.

The bench questioned the delay, noting that three months had passed despite a clear written order directing the submission of the record.

"What have you been doing all this time? The court must be informed," the judges remarked, expressing dissatisfaction over the prosecution's conduct.

The court observed that three separate cases were under consideration and ordered that the complete record be presented before the next hearing.

Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq, representing Ejaz Chaudhry, argued that his client was falsely implicated and arrested without any concrete evidence, allegedly over social media activity.

He stated that no recovery was made from Chaudhry and that he had been taken into custody from Islamabad during his detention period.

Separately, the LHC summoned the Advocate General Punjab and the Chief Secretary on the next hearing of Jamaat-e-Islami's petition challenging the provincial government's failure to hold local government elections.