A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday reserved its judgment on appeals against the sentences of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Iddat and Nikkah case.
The court is expected to pronounce its judgement on May 29.
On Thursday, Islamabad District and Session Judge Shahrukh Arjumand heard the appeals.
Usman Riaz Gul appeared before the court on behalf of PTI, while Rizwan Abbasi appeared on behalf of Khawar Maneka after the court had rejected his plea for an adjournment.
During the hearing, PTI's lawyer, Riaz Gul, contended that the case had been filed for political motives. He explained that Maneka's nearly six-year delay in filing the complaint was evidence of his malicious intent.
Questioning the court's jurisdiction, he contended that determining the marriage's validity falls within the family court's jurisdiction, not a criminal court.
He further argued that Bushra Bibi's statement, recorded under Section 342, indicates that she underwent divorce in April 2017 and remarried after completing the necessary iddat period.
However, the deputy district prosecutor, Adnan Ali, requested the court to uphold the sentence.
Regarding the court's jurisdiction, the deputy district prosecutor argued that no legal provision exempts such cases from criminal prosecution.
He also highlighted that Maneka's complainant did not seek annulment of the marriage; rather, it sought punishment for marrying during the iddat period.
He further claimed that Imran's repeated interference in Maneka and Bushra's lives resulted in their separation.
Khawar Maneka, Bushra's former husband, had filed a case against Imran and his ex-wife in November 2023. Maneka had alleged that Bushra Bibi married Imran without completing her iddat.
On February 3, a trial court sentenced Imran and Bushra to seven years in prison for contracting the marriage during the latter's iddat period. The PTI founder and his wife subsequently challenged the order in Islamabad District and Sessions Court.