Pakistan: Imran Khan gets interim bail in case linked to remarks against female judge

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday granted interim bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in a case related to his controversial remarks against a female judge at a rally in August.

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday granted interim bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in a case related to his controversial remarks against a female judge at a rally in August. Khan appeared before the court today amid tight security. The session court judge Kamran Basharat Mufti presided over the hearing and granted interim bail to Khan till October 13 after approving Khan's interim bail plea, filed by Khan's lawyer Babar Awan, the Dawn reported.

Khan has been asked to pay surety bonds of Rs 50,000. During the brief hearing, Civil Judge Kamran Basharat inquired if this was Imran's first bail application to which Imran Khan's lawyer Awan replied in the affirmative. "Hearing in another case has been fixed for October 13."

While speaking to the media after the hearing, Awan said that all the cases against Khan were false and a "conspiracy by the imported government", the Dawn reported. "PTI is returning [to power] with one-third majority. If there is anyone who can bring change, it is Imran Khan," he said. The lawyer said that the PTI chair has never ever stated an excuse for being ill.

Notably, a case was registered against Imran Khan at the Margalla Police Station and when Khan did not appear in court, a judicial magistrate had issued an arrest warrant. In contrast, the Islamabad High Court had then granted Khan protective bail till October 7. Last week, Senior Civil Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim issued arrest warrants for Imran on September 30.

On September 19, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the removal of terrorism sections from the case registered against the PTI chief. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz announced the verdict on a PTI plea to quash the terrorism case against Imran. Subsequently, the case was transferred to a sessions court and the PTI chief had not obtained his bail.

Later, on October 2, the PTI chief approached IHC with a plea for pre-arrest bail through his counsel Babar Awan. The court accepted the plea and instructed Imran to appear before a lower court before October 7. In the plea, Imran Khan said a terrorism case was initially filed against him, however, he added that the high court later struck down the charges and the case was transferred.

On Tuesday, a five-member bench, headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah in Islamabad High court dismissed the show cause notice issued to Imran Khan after he agreed to apologise for his controversial remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Zeba Chaudhry at an August 20 public rally. The court said that it was satisfied by Imran Khan's apology over the remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, Dawn reported.

Notably, the PTI chief had criticised the female judge after she had approved an extension in the physical remand of his close aide Shahbaz Gill in a sedition case. The PTI chief was booked in a terrorism case on the complaint of Islamabad Sadar Magistrate Ali Javed for threatening the female judge. The terrorism case was registered against Imran Khan in Margalla police station for allegedly using derogatory language and threatening the judge. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)