ISLAMABAD: A constitution bench of the Supreme Court will hear several petitions challenging the trial of civilians in military courts on January 7 and a plea for a judicial probe into alleged rigging of the 2024 general elections on February 7.
According to the cause list released on Thursday, a seven-member constitution bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan will next week hear a plea challenging the civilian’s military trial.
Apart from Justice Amin, other jurists of the bench included Justice Jamal Khan Mandukhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Musrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan.
Last month, the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court granted conditional permission for military courts to pronounce verdicts in the cases of 85 suspects allegedly involved in the May 9, 2023 riots.
In its ruling on hearing appeals against military trials of civilians, the constitution bench had said that decisions of military courts would be subject to the Supreme Court’s decision on cases pending before it.
Subsequently, military courts sentenced 85 PTI activists to two to 10 years of “rigorous imprisonment” for their involvement in the May 9 protests, to military detention for attacks on military installations and monuments. Those who went were at the end of their trial.
Earlier today, the Army accepted the mercy pleas of 19 of the 67 convicts convicted in the May 9 riots case “on humanitarian grounds,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous verdict of a five-judge bench, had on October 23 last year quashed the trial of civilians in military courts after accepting petitions challenging the trial of civilians involved in the May 9 riots.
Additionally, the constitution bench will also hear a constitutional petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan against alleged rigging during the nationwide elections on February 8, 2024.
A miscellaneous petition seeking “constitution of a judicial commission comprising judges of the Supreme Court for inquiry into the 2024 general elections” will be heard on January 7.
The jailed PTI founder had approached the Supreme Court in March 2024, seeking the formation of a judicial commission to “enquiry, audit and examine” the conduct and procedures of the February 8 general elections in the country. was done
The petition, filed by senior advocate Hamid Khan on behalf of the PTI founder, sought the formation of a judicial commission of the Supreme Court – comprising judges of the Supreme Court who are not biased – “ Methods and procedures for enquiry, audit and scrutiny of the February 8, 2024 general election and subsequent developments by setting up false and fraudulent results in the losers who won and the winners who lost”.
In the elections held on February 8, PTI-backed independent candidates won the most seats in the National Assembly, followed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). are
However, the Muslim League (N) formed a coalition government at the Center with the support of other parties, including the PPP, and later became the single largest party in the lower house of parliament after devolution of reserved seats.