LAHORE: A two-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday suspended the single-bench order granting protective bail to former Punjab chief minister and president Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Ch. Pervez Elahi.
Earlier in the day, Punjab government filed an appeal against the court order granting protective bail to the former Punjab chief minister.
The plea was heard by a two-member bench headed by Justice Ali Baqir Najafi. It said that Elahi is being investigated by the concerned investigating agencies as per the law, adding that the single bench ignored the legal requirements in the judgment.
The provincial government requested the court to declare the decision of the single bench null and void. The court agreed to the plea, suspended the bail and adjourned the case till August 1.
Earlier, LHC directed PTI President Parvez Elahi to approach relevant authorities against his detention under 3MPO. Justice Ali Baqar Najafi asked Elahi’s counsel to file an appeal with the district commissioner. “He will hear your plea and issue an order on it,” he said while hearing the petition against Elahi’s detention order.
Elahi’s lawyer contended that the court could overrule the order in line with precedents, but Justice Najafi told him that he could challenge the relevant authorities’ decision in the court. The PTI president’s lawyers then withdrew the plea.
The Punjab government on Sunday issued orders to detain Elahi under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order, 1960, for 30 days. He then moved the court, seeking nullification of the order as he had been behind bars for around a month now.
