Former prime minister Imran Khan has approached the Islamabad High Court for bail in the Toshakhana and 190 million pounds cases.
Imran’s counsel filed separate applications for bail in both cases. The court has been requested to grant bail till the final decision of the case in the accountability court.
The accountability court had earlier rejected Imran Khan’s bail plea in both cases. The new petition has mentioned the NAB chairman, the director general, and the investigating officer parties.
On the other hand, the Islamabad High Court heard petitions to set aside Imran Khan’s jail trial in the Toshakhana and 190 million pounds references.
Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the appeals. The former premier has filed petitions against the jail trial notifications.
Khan’s lawyer, Shoaib Shaheen, said Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb had given a decision in a similar case. It would be appropriate that this case be transferred to the same court.
The lawyer then requested a stay order on the trial of both cases.
The chief justice remarked that a jail trial is not an in-camera trial. The only parameters to be seen are whether the jail trial procedure was followed or not.
Justice Jahangiri asked what was wrong with the notification for the jail trial.
The authority for a jail trial of any case rests with the judge of the court concerned, replied Shoaib Shaheen, but in this case, the reference was not filed with the court.
The judge remarked that before a trial, a suspect has to be presented in court and his remand sought.
The CJ asked if the proceedings for a jail trial were conducted as per the high court rules.
The AGP said the notifications issued by the government pertained to the proceedings of the court in jail and not the trial. The CJ said the notifications were about the trial.
The AGP said the federal government cannot decide about an in-camera trial; that authority only rested with the court and not the government. The government is only empowered to determine the place of hearing for the court.
The court directed the petitioner's lawyer Shoaib Shaheen and the NAB prosecutor to give arguments tomorrow. The hearing on petitions against jail trial of the PTI founder has been adjourned till tomorrow.
