Toshakhana case: Imran’s plea for exemption from appearance approved for one day

ISLAMABAD: A local court, on Monday, approved Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s plea seeking exemption from personal appearance before it for one day in a case filed against him after demonstrations were held following his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Toshakhana case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, while hearing the case, rejected another application of the PTI chief seeking a transfer of hearing of the case to a judicial complex due to security reasons.

At the oust of the hearing, Khan’s lawyer Babar Awan filed two petitions, seeking an exemption for the PTI chief from the hearing for one day and a transfer of the hearing scheduled in the district court to the banking court.

Awan, while arguing before the court, said that his client will come to the city on Tuesday (today) for appearing before the banking court. He said there had been a security alert in the district courts as per the reports of the agencies and Khan had to appear in the same court. He requested the court to hear the case at the judicial complex.

The judge said that it never happened in judicial history that he should have heard a case in another court or gone to another court. Even he could not hear a case in the court next to his court, he said, adding that it did not fall under his jurisdiction to transfer the hearing of the case to another court.

Awan assured the court that the PTI chief will appear before it Tuesday (today).

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and complainant Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha requested the court to order Khan’s medical examination from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and dismiss his plea seeking exemption.

The judge inquired whether the plaintiff provided any evidence against Imran Khan. The Station House Officer (SHO) Secretariat police station said the USB regarding the allegation is present on record. Do not mention the USB as PTI’s chief is not present in that clip, the judge told the SHO.

The judge further told the SHO that “if you have any evidence that the protest demonstration was held at the behest of the PTI chief then present it before the court.”

The judge ordered the investigation officer (IO) to conduct the investigation under Section 109.

The court, after hearing the arguments of both parties, reserved its judgment for some time.

Later, while announcing its verdict, granted one-day exemption to Khan and rejected its plea for transfer of hearing of the case to a judicial complex.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023