Summary
- The Islamabad High Court has declared admissible the petitions seeking suspension of sentences of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha, who were convicted by a trial court in the controversial tweets case.
- Justice Muhammad Azam Khan of the Islamabad High Court issued a reserved verdict, rejecting a miscellaneous application filed by the prosecution challenging the admissibility of the petitions.
- Earlier, The Islamabad High Court on Friday reserved its decision on whether petitions seeking the suspension of prison sentences awarded to lawyers and human rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha can proceed.
The Islamabad High Court has declared admissible the petitions seeking suspension of sentences of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha, who were convicted by a trial court in the controversial tweets case.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan of the Islamabad High Court issued a reserved verdict, rejecting a miscellaneous application filed by the prosecution challenging the admissibility of the petitions.
The court had reserved its decision yesterday after hearing arguments from both sides. The prosecution had argued that the petitions for suspension of sentence filed by Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha were premature.
It is pertinent to mention that Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka had sentenced both Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chatha to a total of 17 years in prison each under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Both convicts have approached the Islamabad High Court seeking suspension of their sentences.
Earlier, The Islamabad High Court on Friday reserved its decision on whether petitions seeking the suspension of prison sentences awarded to lawyers and human rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha can proceed.
The petitions relate to the couple’s convictions in a case involving alleged controversial social media posts under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
The hearing was conducted by Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, who considered preliminary arguments from both the prosecution and the defence before reserving his ruling on the maintainability of the petitions.
During the proceedings, lawyers representing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) argued that the requests for suspension of sentence had been filed too early. They maintained that the court should first decide the prosecution’s objection challenging the admissibility of the petitions before considering any request for relief
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