ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday declared the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in cipher case ‘null and void’, nullifying the August 29 notification.
An IHC division bench, comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, announced the reserved verdict on an intra-court appeal filed by PTI chief Imran Khan against a single-member bench’s decision that had approved the ex-premier’s jail trial in the cipher case.
In a short verdict, the Islamabad High Court declared Imran Khan’s intra-court appeal admissible.
The court also upheld the appointment of Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, who is conducting Imran Khan’s trial under the Official Secrets Act in the cipher case.
The court said that the notification issued by the law ministry on November 15 for Imran’s jail trial was no longer applicable.
A short order has been issued by the IHC, while the detailed verdict will be issued later.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman is currently detained in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi on judicial remand.
The former prime minister and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also in jail, were indicted in the case on Oct 23.
Today’s hearing
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja told the IHC that the part of the trial that had taken place before the cabinet had notified the jail trial was illegal.
He pleaded with the court to accept the plea of his client against the jail trial in the cipher case.
Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan told the court that the jail trial was an open trial.
He admitted that Khan’s family had not been allowed into the courtroom in the initial hearings. Still, he attributed it to the fact that the room where proceedings were held was not big enough to accommodate enough people.
The AGP said the trial of the case was initiated on October 23.
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The IHC has reserved its verdict on the plea of the PTI chief after the conclusion of arguments from both sides.
The short verdict is likely to be announced today in the evening between 5 to 5:30 pm, according to the Islamabad High Court.
