Everyone is equal before law: Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that everyone is equal before law. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard the bail application of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in a reference filed by the NAB for accumulating assets through illegal means.

Arguing before the court, Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Agha Siraj Durrani, submitted that the allegations leveled against his client were the same as leveled by the NAB in the reference against Syed Khurshid Shah.

He contended that the apex court had accepted the bail application of Syed Khurshid Shah during the course of hearing in the reference filed by the NAB. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, a member of the bench, however, told the counsel that his client has to give explanation as to how he made the assets. The counsel replied that his client has been accused of accumulating the assets of 1.6 billion rupees through illegal means.

To a court query, the counsel submitted that as per his calculation, Agha Siraj’s assets are worth 30 to 35 crores. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asked the counsel that from where precious watches worth Rs10 crores were recovered. To this, the counsel replied that these were recovered from the locker of Agha Siraj Durrani, adding that these Rolex watches were 1940 and 1950 models and the price value of these watches were determined by a private company after the photos of the these watches were sent.

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the counsel about the tenures the accused remained as public office-holder. The counsel told the court that Agha Siraj Durrani remained a public office-holder during the years 1988, 1993 and then from 2008 till today.

During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor told the court that Siraj Durrani does not need bail as he was not in jail but at his home. The chief justice observed that everyone is equal before law, adding that the court will also look into the matter of declaring the house as jail. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing till today (Thursday).