ISLAMABAD: The constitutional bench (CB) of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday referred the contempt of court case against former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan to a regular bench.
The CB decided that the matter did not involve any constitutional question that requires an interpretation by the constitutional bench.
A five-member constitutional bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Aamir Farooq, heard the contempt of court case, filed by the federal government against Imran Khan.
During the proceedings, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel asked, “Is not the regular bench supposed to hear the case?”
Concurring with Justice Mandokhel, Salman Akram Raja, counsel for the former prime minister, said there was no constitutional matter in this case. “It would be better if you sent it to a regular bench.”
Speaking on the occasion, the additional attorney general said that in the reserved seats case also, the court had forwarded the contempt case to a regular bench. “Therefore, the court better refer it to a regular bench.”
In its petition filed against Imran in June 2022 for allegedly violating court orders by extending the long march route four kilometers beyond the designated area to Jinnah Avenue, the government had contended that the participants in the long march blocked roads, causing hardships to citizens.
