The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday suspnded its earlier verdict of voiding the civilians’ trials in military courts.
The Supreme Court (SC) retained its decision on intra-court appeals contesting the declaration of civilian trials in military courts as ‘unconstitutional.’
Back on October 23, the SC had issued a 4-1 verdict against pleas challenging civilian trials in military courts. This legal dispute emerged as PTI chairman and others contested the military trial of civilians involved in the May 9 riots sparked by the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
A six-member larger bench, led by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, is overseeing the appeals, which also include Justice Aminuddin, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Irfan Saadat.
Intra-court appeals have been submitted by the federal and provincial governments, along with the Defence Ministry. The federal government is seeking a stay on the court verdict and appealing to nullify the decision.
As proceedings commenced, Latif Khosa, the lawyer representing Former CJP Justice (r) Jawwad S. Khawaja, expressed reservations about the bench. The SC bench head responded by asking Khosa to wait for his turn. Despite objections, Justice Tariq Masood declined to step down from the bench, emphasizing the judge’s prerogative to recuse.
Attorney General of Pakistan, Mansoor Awan, urged the court to annul its October 23rd orders. When asked about the urgency, Awan explained that other cases involving hardcore terrorists are pending in military courts.
The SC subsequently adjourned the hearing, stating that the decision on civilian trials in military courts would be disclosed in the order. Justice Tariq noted that further proceedings would take place after the winter vacation
