Supreme Court resumes hearing against trials of civilians in military courts
Pakistan
The six-member larger bench is headed by Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Supreme Court has resumed the hearing against the trials of civilians in military courts today. The six-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial resumed the hearing.
Other members of the larger bench include Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Ayesha Malik.
Attorney General will start his arguments as the counsels of petitioners had completed their arguments.
The Supreme Court had rejected the government plea to form a full court bench to hear a set of petitions challenging the trial of civilians in military courts, citing the non-availability of judges as the reason yesterday.
Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial had said that formation of a full court bench wasn’t possible because three judges expressed their inability to hear the matter while some others, including Justice Athar Minallah, were currently abroad.
He told Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan that the court would give him ample time to present his case as the petitioners’ lawyers had already completed their arguments.
The chief justice remarked that everyone shared the opinion that the May 9 events were very serious in their nature, but added that all the people in the country were worried how the civilians would be treated during the harsh military trial proceedings.
Latif Khosa – one of the counsels representing the petitioners – had stated at the very beginning the accused should be tried in anti-terrorism courts, the chief justice observed and asked the attorney general that he would now have to answer all the questions.
