IHC grants bail to Maulvi Iftikhar-ud-din in threats to Justice Isa case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted bail to Maulvi Iftikhar-ud-Din Mirza in a case related to the threats to Justice Isa, and noted the court was doing so "to ensure a fair trial".

The high court approved Mirza's bail, ordering him to deposit Rs1mn surety bonds. A two-member bench of the court, comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq heard the case.

"Do you know what the suspect has said about the judge and the judiciary?" asked Justice Athar Minallah.

"The suspect has apologised for his words," responded Mirza's lawyer.

"The contempt of court case is with the Supreme Court, we are just deciding about the bail," said the IHC chief justice. "This matter pertains to maligning the entire judiciary," he added.

Mirza’s lawyer responded by stating that his client had neither uploaded nor ensured that the video went viral.

The deputy general informed the court that the suspect was nominated in a case that included provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act, defamation and others.

"We are accepting his bail to ensure a fair trial," said the court.

Maulvi Iftikhar-ud-Din Mirza was indicted on July 15 by the Supreme Court for using derogatory, contemptuous and scandalous language against the judiciary in a video that went viral in June.

On June 25, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had taken notice of the scandalous video and issued notice to the cleric.

In the viral video, Mirza was seen giving threats to the Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

The video contained derogatory, contemptuous and scandalous language against the institution of the judiciary and the honourable judges.