SC bench hearing appeals on trial of civilians in military courts dissolved

The Supreme Court bench hearing intra-court appeals on the trial of civilians in military courts has been dissolved.

A six-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, was hearing the intra-court appeals.

As soon as the hearing commenced, the lawyer of former chief justice Jawad S. Khawaja, Khawaja Ahmed Hassan, raised an objection over the bench. He said the matter of the reformation of the bench should be sent to the judges' committee.

When the Lahore bar lawyer, Hamid Khan, attempted to present his arguments, Justice Masood stopped him. He said if the bench did not have to hear the case, the counsel did not need to argue. The judge said if his presence was being objected to he was recusing himself from the bench.

Justice Sardar Tariq Masood recused himself from the bench. The court ordered the three-member judges' committee to form a new larger bench for hearing the intra-court appeals and made it clear that the decision to declare the trial of civilians in military courts null and void will remain suspended.

Besides Justice Masood, the bench comprised Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat.

When the bench dissolved, the court made it clear that the decision to invalidate the trials of civilians in military courts will remain suspended.