IHC’s larger bench to hear cases of Imran’s meetings in jail

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday scheduled all identical cases related to the jail meetings of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan for hearing before a larger bench.

A three-member bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Sarfaraz Dogar would take up the cases for hearing on Thursday (today).

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Azam Khan are also part of the larger bench.

A contempt of court case for not allowing Advocate Mashal Yousafzai to meet the former prime minister is also among the scheduled cases.

On the other hand, Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan initiated contempt of court proceedings on his own after the cancellation of the cause list of contempt of court case of lawyer Mashal

Yousafzai against the Adiala jail superintendent.

He ordered Deputy Registrar (Judicial) Sultan Mahmood to submit a written response.

He also sought a response from the advocate general Islamabad on the cancellation of the cause list and transfer of the case to another bench.

“Does the state support transferring the case to a larger bench without the consent of the judge,” Justice Ishaq Khan remarked and summoned the deputy registrar.

On a brief court notice, Deputy Registrar Mahmood appeared in the court stating that instructions had come from the chief justice’s office and it had been told that a larger bench had been formed… “now cancel the cause list of this case”.

Justice Sardar Ijaz asked whether a case could be transferred in such a way, adding if a party had three cases, can the case under trial be transferred.

To which, the deputy registrar said they had sent the matter to the chief justice’s office for instructions, and it was asked to transfer the case to the larger bench.