LEGAL

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has approved the request of the Superintendent of Adiala Jail to consolidate multiple petitions regarding meetings with the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The case was heard by Acting Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, who reviewed the Superintendent’s plea along with the objections raised by the Registrar’s Office.
Superintendent’s Argument
During the hearing, the Superintendent’s lawyer argued that:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for meetings with the PTI founder had already been determined in an intra-court appeal.
- Several petitions regarding meetings with the PTI founder were pending in different IHC benches, causing procedural delays.
- The Superintendent was required to appear in court five days a week, making it difficult to manage multiple hearings.
- If the cases were consolidated under one bench, it would streamline the legal process and reduce the administrative burden.
Court Decision
After hearing the arguments, the Islamabad High Court accepted the request and directed the formation of a larger bench to hear all related petitions together.
Implications of the Ruling
- Easier case management: Consolidation will prevent conflicting rulings on the same issue.
- Administrative relief: The Superintendent will now appear once instead of attending multiple hearings.
- Legal clarity: A larger bench’s ruling will provide a uniform decision on the visitation rights of PTI’s founder.
This decision comes amid ongoing legal proceedings against PTI leadership, including corruption cases, intra-party disputes, and security-related concerns.