ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has suspended the military court verdict against civilian trials with a majority decision of 5-1.

This ruling came on October 23 in response to pleas challenging the military trial of civilians involved in the May 9 riots, sparked by the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The appeals against civilian trials in military courts were presented by PTI chairman and others. The six-member larger bench, led by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and including Justice Aminuddin, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Irfan Saadat, is currently handling the case.

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Various intra-court appeals have been filed by the federal and provincial governments, along with the Defence Ministry. The federal government is seeking a stay on the court verdict and has appealed to nullify the decision.

The SC initially announced its verdict on the intra-court appeals with a 4-1 majority, with Justice Musarrat Hilali being the sole dissenting judge. However, upon further consideration, the majority decision shifted to 5-1.

The hearing process began with reservations expressed by Former Chief Justice (r) Jawwad S. Khawaja’s lawyer, Latif Khosa, who raised concerns about the bench. Despite objections, Justice Tariq Masood refused to step down, asserting that recusing from a bench was a judge’s prerogative.

“Pardon me, but I do not step down from the bench,” Justice Masood insisted and rejected the former CJP’s objection.

Attorney General of Pakistan, Mansoor Awan, urged the court to nullify its October 23rd orders, citing urgency due to pending cases of other hardcore terrorists in military courts.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case after further deliberation.