Islamabad Court Cancels Bail of Imaan Mazari, Orders Arrest in Tweets Case
The situation escalated into a heated verbal exchange between the bar president and the prosecutor inside the courtroom, prompting the judge to rise from the bench and retire to his chamber.
ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday cancelled the bail of lawyer and activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case related to controversial social media posts.
Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka revoked the bail of both accused and ordered their immediate arrest and production before the court. The judge also terminated their right to cross-examination and announced that statements under Section 342 of the CrPC would be recorded on Friday.
Mazari and Chattha are facing charges registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016. Both were formally indicted on October 30.
During Thursday’s hearing, Imaan Mazari failed to appear before the court, with her defence counsel seeking exemption on medical grounds. However, the court expressed strong displeasure over her absence, stating that the application for exemption would be considered later.
Read More: Iman Mazari’s Husband Hadi Chattha arrested over ‘Anti-State’ social media posts
The judge warned that failure to appear would result in forfeiture of the right to cross-examination. Despite this, neither Mazari nor Chattha appeared when the hearing resumed. The defence maintained that Mazari wished to personally cross-examine prosecution witness Shehroz at the next hearing.
The court observed that the cross-examination must be completed without delay, otherwise the right would stand terminated.
Meanwhile, Islamabad District Bar Association President Advocate Chaudhry Naeem Gujjar appeared before the court and requested that the hearing be adjourned until Monday, assuring that no further adjournment would be sought.
The prosecution opposed the request, with Prosecutor Rana Usman insisting that the witness be administered oath and cross-examination begin immediately.
The situation escalated into a heated verbal exchange between the bar president and the prosecutor inside the courtroom, prompting the judge to rise from the bench and retire to his chamber.
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