LHC grants Ejaz Chaudhry bail in three May 9 cases

The Lahore High Court has granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Ejaz Chaudhry in three separate cases related to the May 9 arson and vandalism incidents.

Express News reported that the court announced its reserved verdict on three bail petitions filed by Chaudhry. The two-member bench, headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, heard the petitions and approved bail in all three cases.

During the hearing, Chaudhry’s counsel, Mian Ali Ashfaq, argued that his client had been falsely implicated in three cases, including the torching of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) office and a container in Lahore’s Gulberg area.

He contended that the trial court had failed to properly assess the facts of the cases, while in the same matters, the PTI founder had already been granted bail. After reviewing the arguments, the LHC granted bail to Chaudhry in all three cases.

Read More: LHC irked over prosecution's failure to submit record

On Tuesday, the LHC expressed strong displeasure over the prosecution's failure to submit the case record in PTI leader's bail petition, filed in connection with the May 9 riot cases. 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.

Ashfaq, representing 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.