A six-member Supreme Court bench will hear a set of intra-court appeals (ICAs) challenging its Oct 23 unanimous verdict, wherein it had nullified military trials of 103 civilians, on Dec 15 (Wednesday). In the widely praised ruling, a five-member SC bench — comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Ayesha Malik — had declared that trying 103 civilians in military courts for their alleged role in attacks on army installations during the riots that followed ex-premier Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 was ultra vires the Constitution. The apex court had declared that the accused would not be tried in military courts but in criminal courts of competent jurisdiction established under the ordinary or special law of the land. The appeals have been filed by the caretaker federal government as well as the provincial ones in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. Meanwhile, Sindh has denied filing a purported plea on the same matter. The defence ministry has also moved an ICA before the SC against its judgement, requesting the apex court to suspend the verdict’s operation during the pendency of the appeal. In addition to the ICAs, a contempt of court petition had also been filed before the Supreme Court against Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Hamooduz Zaman Khan for allegedly disregarding its Oct 23 verdict. According to a cause list released today, a six-member larger bench headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood will take up the ICAs at 11:30am on Dec 13 (Wednesday). The bench includes Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan.
SC to hear intra-court pleas against military trial verdict on Dec 13
