PTI legal czar petitions SC to reinstate election tribunals

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legal czar Salman Akram Raja on Monday moved the Supreme Court for the restoration of election tribunals. Raja filed an application to review the SC's July 4 judgment.

According to the petition, the applicant argued that the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to consult with the Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice for the appointment of judges to address rigging complaints, but the SC had not issued any guidelines in its July 4 verdict.

Raja further stated in the application that the LHC judges were correct in their appointments, which should have been accepted by the ECP instead of raising objections.

Evaluating the SC’s decision to overrule the LHC judgment, Raja noted that the apex court had not suspended the judges appointed to handle electoral rigging cases and asserted that the ECP did not have the right to oppose the LHC judgment. "Only the LHC can decide the jurisdiction of the judges of election tribunals in Punjab," he added.