SC rejects PTI chief's plea to stop trial in Toshakhana case
Pakistan
Justice Yahya Afridi-led bench has sent the matter back to IHC for re-examination
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday turned down a petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, seeking an order to restrain trial in the Toshakhana case.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Yahya Afridi, also sent the case back to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to re-examine it.
The PTI chief and his legal counsel appeared before the bench. During the hearing, the court issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), ordering it to submit its response today.
Later, Amjad Parvez, the ECP lawyer, attended the hearing to submit the response.
After hearing arguments, the bench rejected the petition of the former prime minister.
The former prime minister had petitioned the apex court against the IHC's directive to the trial court that had asked for a re-examination of the maintainability of the Toshakhana case within a week.
On May 10, the PTI chief was indicted in the case by Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar who dismissed objections to the admissibility of the case.
On July 4, the IHC nullified the decision of the trial court that had turned down the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s plea challenging the admissibility of the Toshakhana case.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict reserved on June 23 after hearing arguments on the petition of the former prime minister against the trial court’s ruling. The chief justice sent the matter back to the trial court, ordering it to again hear the arguments of the PTI. He gave the trial court seven days to decide the PTI chairman's plea in the Toshakhana case.
The petition had been filed after the PTI chief was indicted in the case on May 10 - two days after the high court had stopped criminal proceedings in the case.
The Case
Last year, a reference was filed against him by lawmakers from the ruling coalition accusing him of not sharing the details of gifts he retained from Toshakhana in his assets declarations and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had concluded in October last year that the PTI chief filed false statements regarding the gifts.
The electoral watchdog subsequently disqualified him for being dishonest and corrupt and approached the district and sessions court seeking criminal proceedings against the PTI chief for allegedly misleading officials about the gifts.
