ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the government’s petition seeking to allow military courts to announce case verdicts.
“Giving permission would mean recognising the authority of military courts,” remarked Justice Musarrat Hilali who was part of the apex court’s seven-member constitutional bench.
Headed by Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan, the bench also includes Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan.
Furthermore, the court today also threw out former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja’s petition seeking the postponement of the hearings of cases relating to the trial of civilians in military courts till the 26th Constitutional Amendment issue was decided.
The court also slapped a fine of Rs20,000 on the former chief justice.
Justice Ayesha A Malik was not part of the bench as the Constitutional Committee observed that since the judge was a member of the earlier bench whose judgment was under challenge, therefore, she could not sit on the constitutional bench for those appeals.
