Appeal against Axact fake degree accused conviction: Hearing only after convicts get arrested, says IHC

ISLAMABAD: Hearing an appeal of Axact officials on Tuesday, Justice Athar Minallah of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday remarked that the Axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh and others convicted by the trial court must surrender before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and get arrested before the court could hear their appeals against convictions.

Justice Athar Minallah remarked that under the Supreme Court directions no court could hear the appeals of convicts before their arrest by the law enforcement authorities.

“We don’t want to set a new precedent in this matter. If the convicts want their appeals to be heard by the IHC, they must appear before the trial court and let them get arrested,” he said.

Assistance District & Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Islamabad Chaudhry Mumtaz Hussain on July 4 sentenced Shoaib Sheikh and 22 others in the famous fake degree scandal to 7-year jail term.

Shoaib Sheikh and other convicts then filed appeals against the sentence that the IHC bench did not entertain saying that unless they surrendered before the trial court and get arrested, no appeal could be heard. Legal counsel for Axact officials, Raja Rizwan Abbasi advocate adopted before the court that four convicts were surrendering before the trial court today while rest of the others would also be surrendering soon. He requested the court to hear the appeals to the context of four convicts. The bench however turned down the request and said first they should get arrested and then we will hear in their appeals.