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Friday March 29, 2024

IHC grants protective bail to Imran Khan in remarks against judge case till Oct 7

PTI leader Babar Awan files Imran Khan's bail plea to avoid arrest day after release of arrest warrant for former premier

By Awais Yusafzai
October 02, 2022
Islamabad High Court. — IHC website
Islamabad High Court. — IHC website

PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday acquired a protective bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a case filed against him for his controversial remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and police officers during a public rally in Islamabad on August 20.

PTI leader Babar Awan filed the plea on Imran Khan's behalf a day after a magistrate of Islamabad's Margalla Police Station issued an arrest warrant for the former chairman in the case.

The IHC opened on a holiday to take up the bail plea and directed the petitioner to submit surety bonds of Rs10,000 against the bail, Geo News reported.

During the hearing, IHC Judge Justice Moshin Akhtar Kayani directed Imran Khan to appear before the concerned court.

The FIR registered against Khan includes four sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 189 (threat of injury to public servant), and 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has already said the coalition government will not detain the PTI chair and that Imran's arrest warrant had to be issued because an accused is required to appear before a magistrate, but Imran didn't.

The minister told Geo News on current affairs programme 'Naya Pakistan' on Saturday that a judge issues an arrest warrant if the accused fails to appear before the court.

"This is a routine warrant issued under bailable clauses," he added, ruling out Imran Khan's arrest.

Discussing the case, the interior minister had said the IHC only dismissed the anti-terrorism provisions of the case. The court has not disposed of the case, he asserted.

Censuring the PTI chair, Sanaullah said he had compromised the independence of the country. He continued, "His [Imran's] crime is not pardonable. The Parliament will discuss it, and lawmakers will ratify any decision that is made unanimously at the floor of the House."

The case

A first information report (FIR) was registered against the former prime minister on August 20 under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for threatening the additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police at a rally in the federal capital’s F-9 Park.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of magistrate Ali Javed at Islamabad's Margalla Police Station under Section 7 of ATA.

Following this, Khan managed to secure transit bail till August 25 from the IHC but was asked to approach the ATC as it was the relevant forum. Then, the trial court extended the interim bail till September 12 in the terrorism case.

Later, the ATC granted an extension in the pre-arrest bail plea of PTI Chairman Imran Khan till September 20, in a terror case.

On September 20, the ATC transferred the terror case registered against PTI Chairman Imran Khan to a sessions court following the IHC order to remove the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) section from the case.

On September 30, a magistrate of Islamabad's Margalla Police Station issued the arrest warrant for PTI Chief Imran Khan due to his non-appearance in court.