The Supreme Court has declined the request for an immediate hearing to lift PTI founder Imran Khan’s disqualification in the Tosha Khana case. Instead, the appeal filed by PTI is slated for review tomorrow, addressing concerns about a fair playing field.
During the Supreme Court session chaired by Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, the matter of suspending PTI’s Tosha Khana decision and scheduling related petitions for a fair hearing arose. Lawyer Shehbaz Khosa advocated for the disqualification petition in the Tosha Khana case to be heard by a three-member bench.
However, Justice Tariq highlighted the limitation of judges available in Islamabad, stating that a case as significant as the Tosha Khana matter requires a minimum three-member bench. He clarified that hearing the disqualification case this week would not be feasible due to this constraint.
Justice Atharmanullah stressed that suspending the decision linked to disqualification doesn’t suspend the punishment. There’s a request to terminate the sentence if the Tosha Khana case decision is suspended, citing a lack of precedent for suspending a sentence in Pakistan’s judicial history.
Referencing past cases, Lawyer Shehbaz Khosa drew attention to instances where both the verdict and sentence were revoked, particularly mentioning the disqualification of PTI’s founder for three years. Acting Chief Justice Tariq explained the limitations of a two-judge bench in addressing this application.
The discussion led to considerations about forming a bench despite judge availability challenges. Justice Tariq Masood highlighted the absence of judges and inquired about arrangements for the hearing, concluding the session.
Earlier, Justice Athar Manullah highlighted the gravity of the allegations in the application. Lawyer Latif Khosa responded, suggesting that timely case registration could have averted the current urgency.
Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood confirmed a future hearing by a three-member bench, indicating the potential resolution of the contempt petition regarding the level playing field tomorrow.
