ECP contempt case: LHC rejects plea to stop Imran’s jail trial

LAHORE: A three-member bench of the Lahore High Court, headed by Justice Alia Neelam, rejected a plea of former PTI Chairman Imran Khan to stop the jail trial in the contempt of the Election Commission of Pakistan case.

The ECP lawyer presented the notification of jail trial in the court. The court remarked that even lawyers of institutions, who come here do not have complete information and they hide the facts. 

“Fawad Chaudhry also filed an application in the Islamabad High Court and it was decided. If the facts are hidden, then how can we see the matter? You should follow the law, we will not follow this way. Our shoulders are very delicate, we cannot carry such a burden. It is not possible to hear the main case without removing the objection of the registrar’s office to the application,” Justice Alia Neelam remarked.

An objection was also raised that the certified copy of the court decision was not attached to the application. PTI lawyer Ishtiaq A Khan said that the case was fixed for the indictment of the former PTI chairman. “The certified decision of the court has not been received yet,” he added. On the inquiry of the court, the lawyer said the the case was being heard in Adiala Jail, to which Justice Alia Neelam said that how does the court have jurisdiction over the principal seat? The lawyer said that the Election Commission was working all over the country but the court said the case should be heard in Islamabad or the Rawalindi bench.

The lawyer said that the full bench was not available in Rawalpindi due to holidays and requested the court to order an open trial in which the public and lawyers were allowed to hear, and the Election Commission should be stopped from taking any action against the petitioner.

Ishtiaq A Khan said he would challenge the notification, to which the court said he would have to prepare a complete application. The court said the roster of one member of the bench was only till today. “You said that the jail trial is being conducted without a notification but now the notification has been presented in the court,” it added.