Justice Yahya demands full court hearing on civilians' military court trials

Justice Yahya Afridi on Tuesday called on chief justice Supreme Court Umar Ata Bandial to convene a full bench to review petitions challenging civilian prosecutions in military courts, Aaj News reported.

“The Chief Justice of Pakistan is urged to reconstitute the present bench and refer the current petitions to a full court bench,” Justice Yahya wrote in a June 23 note which was released today.

Earlier in the day, a diminished bench of the top court postponed hearings against military trials of civilians involved in the May 9 riots until the third week of July.

In his address to the attorney general for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan and the petitioners, CJP Umar Ata Bandial said the next hearing would take place after Eid.

Addressing the petitioners, he said that the government should care for the arrested.

Earlier on Tuesday, The SC bench was informed by Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan that civilian trials in military courts had not yet started.

During the hearing, the lawyers present asked SC to order a stay on trying civilians in military courts.

On Monday, a seven-judge bench, headed by the chief justice, resumed the hearing on the petitions against the trials of civilians under the Army Act, 1952.

At the onset of the proceeding, AGP objected to Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah’s inclusion in the bench, citing the fact that one of the petitioners, Jawwad S Khawaja, was related to him.

The judge subsequently recused from the bench. After that, a six-judge bench minus Justice Mansoor heard the case.