Two-member bench of IHC headed by CJ Aamer Farooq accepts Chairman PTI’s appeal against cancellation of bail in nine cases

ISLAMABAD, Oct 2, (SABAH): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) accepted on Monday the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan’s plea against the cancellation of bail by lower courts in nine cases against him.

A division bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the ousted premier’s application pertaining to three cases in connection with the May 9 riots, three concerning protests in Islamabad, Toshakhana case, violation of Section 144 and one attempt to murder case. Six of these bail pleas were before different district and session courts and three were before anti-terrorism courts.

The IHC reinstated Imran Khan’s bail and annulled the different trial courts’ decisions to cancel the same.

The division bench also directed the trial courts to hold proceedings on Imran’s applications and hear the matter afresh. The lower courts had cancelled Imran’s bail over non-appearance.

Imran Khan had appealed to the IHC to direct the trial courts to hear the cases on merit and bar the authorities from arresting him in these cases till a final verdict is issued.

It may be recalled that PTI chief’s bail pleas in six cases were pending before session’s courts and three before anti-terrorism case. The court ordered that the bail applications be treated as pending.

The PTI chairman had on August 26 challenged in the IHC the decision to reject his bail pleas in nine cases, including cases related to May 9 violence, judicial complex attack and forgery cases.