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Supreme Court Orders ATCs to Conclude May 9 Riot Trials Within Four Months
SC directs ATCs to conclude trials of May 9 riot suspects in 4 months, with progress reports due every 15 days. Over 11,000 arrests made, Rs197m in damages reported.
ND
by News Desk
2025-04-08
Supreme Court Orders ATCs to Conclude May 9 Riot Trials Within Four Months

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday directed anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) across the country to conclude all pending trials related to the May 9, 2023 riots within four months, mandating regular progress reports to be submitted to the chief justices of respective high courts every 15 days.

The three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and comprising Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Shakeel Ahmad, was hearing 20 petitions filed by the Punjab government seeking cancellation of bail granted to various suspects involved in the riots that broke out following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan.

During the hearing, the Punjab government’s counsel Zulfiqar Naqvi assured the court that the trials could be wrapped up in three months. However, the CJP extended the timeline to four months to ensure fairness and completion of due process.

The bench also emphasized that the suspects' fundamental rights must be safeguarded and that their cases should not be delayed due to other matters pending before trial courts. “Let the cases proceed; have trust in the ATCs,” CJP Afridi told Sumair Khosa, the lawyer for fashion designer Khadija Shah, who is currently out on bail in one case and acquitted in another.

Lawyer Faisal Chaudhry, representing former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, expressed concern over the short trial timeframe, noting that there were 35 cases against his clients. However, the CJP refused to hear his plea since Fawad’s case was not on the roster for the day.

The court reiterated that the ATCs are bound by law to hold daily hearings in such cases. “The verdicts must be reserved within four months,” the bench ruled, while noting the recording of testimonies from 28 witnesses thus far.

Separately, the Punjab government submitted a report to the SC’s constitutional bench highlighting the extensive damage caused during the May 9 riots. According to the report, the province suffered a financial loss of Rs197 million. The report stated that 9,319 FIRs were registered across 38 districts, with 11,367 suspects arrested and over 24,000 still at large.

The violence resulted in injuries to 152 police personnel and five civilians, while four civilians lost their lives.

This SC directive comes as another constitutional bench continues to hear cases related to military trials and the sentencing of civilians involved in attacks on army installations during the riots.

 
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