Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial has remarked that the trial court judge quickly declared the judgment against former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case.
CJP Bandial expressed these remarks while hearing a plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Khan challenging the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) verdict on the transfer of the Toshakhana matter to another court.
On August 4, the IHC denied the PTI chief's appeal to have the case transferred to a different court but reversed the sessions court's judgment on the maintainability of the case of corrupt practices involving the state gift repository.
Later on August 5, Khan's lawyer, Khawaja Haris, submitted a plea to the SC opposing the judgment of the IHC with a diary number attached.
The former premier received a three-year prison term after being found guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice Bandial, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, heard the PTI chief’s appeal.
As the hearing commenced, Khan's lawyer, Latif Khosa, presented his arguments before the court. The chief justice came down hard on the trial court verdict, saying the judge announced the order in haste. Khosa had prayed to the top court that his client had filed three appeals against the high court’s order.
"How many days did the trial court give to the accused for the right of defense?" the CJP inquired. The IHC had asked the court to decide the matter within seven days, and the trial court decided it in a single day, the chief justice observed.