The Supreme Court has ordered the Lahore High Court (LHC) to decide on the intra-court appeal against the interim bail decision of PTI President Parvez Elahi by August 21. A three-member bench headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the case.
The additional advocate general appeared on behalf of the Punjab government and said that the intra-court appeal against the decision of the single-member bench of the LHC is being heard in the high court. Justice Ahsan however questioned, “How is your intra-court appeal admissible at the high court?”
The lawyer responded saying that on August 21, a two-member bench of the LHC will hear the issue of admissibility of the application. “If the court wishes, it may issue a directive that the issue of admissibility be decided on August 21,” he added.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail remarked that litigating against each other is not a good precedent and instead urged the concerned parties to “sit together and resolve the issue through consensus”.
Elahi’s lawyer agreed with the suggestion expressing frustration over his client being released and rearrested repeatedly.
Notably, the PTI president was first arrested by the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) with the help of the Punjab Police in Lahore on June 1. He has since been released and rearrested multiple times.
Justice Mandokhail questioned that “If a person is appearing himself to face the charges, why is he being arrested again and again? I don’t know what the government wants to achieve by arresting the same accused repeatedly.”
