Latest Imran Khan News : Supreme Court Orders Imran Khan Release from Jail on Bail

Pakistan’s Supreme Court has granted bail to PTI chief Imran Khan in eight May 9-related cases.

The court accepted his appeals against the earlier decision of the Lahore High Court and called both parties to the chamber at 1 PM for the written order. In its judgment, the Supreme Court declared the Lahore High Court’s decision invalid.

Change in Court Bench

Earlier, the bench handling Imran Khan’s bail cases saw a change. Chief Justice Yahya Afridi led the three-judge panel, with Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi replacing Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb.

Today, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi’s bench continued the hearing, while Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi presented his arguments. The case had been delayed yesterday due to the prosecutor’s health issues, but the court resumed the hearing today.

Court Questions

At the start, the Chief Justice asked two important questions:

1. Can a court give a final finding in a bail case?
2. Earlier, in conspiracy-related cases, bail was granted to other accused persons. Shouldn’t the same principle apply here?

The prosecutor argued that observations in bail cases are always temporary and do not affect the trial. He referred to several past Supreme Court decisions (from 1996 to 2024), saying courts have repeatedly held that remarks made in bail hearings are interim in nature.

Debate on Previous Cases

The Chief Justice reminded that in one May 9 case, despite conspiracy charges, bail was given. He asked the prosecutor to explain this precedent.

The prosecutor replied that in those cases, the accused were not directly named in the FIRs, which made them different. He also cited judgments from 2014, 1996, 1998, and 2022, which confirmed that bail orders do not affect the main trial.

The Chief Justice, however, pointed out that in three separate decisions, accused persons facing conspiracy allegations still received bail.

Next Steps

The court paused the hearing at 11:30 AM and resumed later. The prosecutor continued his arguments, insisting that Imran Khan’s case is different from others. But the Chief Justice asked him to prove how this case is different from earlier ones where bail was granted.