On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is scheduled to hear a petition filed by PTI chief Imran Khan seeking the suspension of the trial court’s verdict in the Toshakhana case.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court will review the petition along with objections raised by the Registrar’s Office.
Senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa submitted the petition under section 561-A (saving of inherent power of the high court) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The plea emphasizes that the inherent powers of the High Court are extensive and undefined, allowing it to issue orders to ensure real and substantial justice. It argues that the failure to record the contentions of the applicant’s counsel for the suspension of the impugned order dated August 5, 2023, and the subsequent omission in the order dated August 28, 2023, is a glaring oversight.
The petition further notes that the August 28 verdict by the IHC only suspended the sentence of the PTI chief and not the trial court’s order.
It requests the court to rectify the omission of not recording the counsel’s contention regarding the suspension of the Toshakhana judgment from August 5.
The petition also contends that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued the disqualification order hastily, despite the conviction not yet reaching finality.
Background of the Toshakhana Verdict
Earlier, on August 5, the District and Sessions Court sentenced the PTI chairman to three years in jail in the Toshakhana criminal case. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on Imran Khan and declared him ineligible to hold public office for five years.
The court’s verdict found Imran Khan guilty of corrupt practices, stating that he had deliberately submitted false details regarding Toshakhana gifts to the ECP. The former prime minister was also disqualified from holding public office for five years as a result of the conviction.
