ISLAMABAD: The District and Sessions Court will hear today the appeals against the sentence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the ‘un-Islamic’ marriage case.
The appeals will be heard by District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand. It may be remembered that no action could be taken on the previous hearing due to the non-availability of the judge. The court had directed Khawar Manika to attend the hearing with his lawyer.
The PTI founder and his wife were convicted on February 3 in Adiala Jail by Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah for illegal marriage during Eid. He faces 7 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
The hearing of the reference of 190 million pounds against the former prime minister and his wife Bushra Bibi will also be held today in the accountability court of Islamabad.
Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana will conduct the hearing in Adiala Jail. In the previous hearing, the court had recorded the statement of one witness while one witness was cross-examined.
Earlier in February, the former prime minister and his wife Bushra Bibi had filed a petition in the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad against the verdict in the Iddat case.
The petition was filed by lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry and Barristers Salman Akram Raja, Salman Safdar, and Usman Riaz Gul will pursue the case. The federal government and Khawar Manika have been named as defendants in the case.
The petition stated that Bushra Bibi and her ex-spouse Khawar Manika divorced in April 2017, and she moved to her mother’s house in August 2017.
According to the petition, the complainant filed a petition against the marriage six years after the divorce. The petition claimed that the sentence was illegal and un-Islamic as the court heard the case and ordered the sentence outside its jurisdiction.
In the petition, the court has been requested to annul the February 3 decision of the trial court regarding marriage during Eid.
