RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench on Wednesday granted significant relief to former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi by suspending a decision made by the accountability court in regard to the ongoing graft case against him.
The two-member bench comprising Justice Shahram Sarwar and Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi issued a notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) during the hearing of Elahi’s writ petition.
In its order, the bench suspended the accountability court’s ruling, which had previously dismissed Elahi’s application for exemption from personal appearances. The court also granted him relief by excusing him from appearing before the NAB court for future hearings in the case.
Elahi, who is facing multiple charges in the graft case, was represented by advocates Sardar Abdul Razzaq Khan and Aamir Saeed Raan before the division bench of the Lahore High Court.
During the hearing, Elahi’s lawyer argued that the former chief minister, a senior and elderly politician, is currently undergoing medical treatment in Lahore due to his poor health. The lawyer highlighted that the physical condition of Elahi made it difficult for him to appear before the NAB court on each hearing date.
Furthermore, the lawyer stated that the trial court had unlawfully rejected his request for exemption from personal appearances, which prompted the writ petition to the High Court.
Justice Shahram Sarwar, one of the judges on the bench, questioned the NAB prosecutor regarding their objections to granting Elahi exemption from attending court. In response, the NAB prosecutor stated that Elahi’s illness was not severe enough to justify the relief sought by his defense team.
Following the preliminary hearing, the court admitted the petition for regular proceedings. It suspended the accountability court’s earlier decision, which had mandated Elahi’s regular attendance at hearings, and issued notices to NAB for a detailed hearing on the matter.
It may be recalled that during the last hearing on July 10, when asked by the judge to approach the rostrum, Elahi had stated, “My medical report is before you. Given my condition, I cannot attend every hearing. Kindly consider my health or grant me three weeks’ relief.”
The defence has maintained that Elahi’s condition requires that he be seated with back support and that attending court each time would be extremely difficult.
The Lahore High Court is now set to deliberate further on the issue in the coming days.
The case has drawn considerable attention, as Elahi’s legal team continues to challenge the proceedings in the accountability court. The High Court’s intervention has provided Elahi with temporary relief, but the final outcome will hinge on the further hearings set to take place.
