The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has forwarded appeals challenging the acquittal of PTI Chairman and Bushra Bibi to Chief Justice Aamer Farooq for the formation of a new bench.
The appeals, filed by Khawar Maneka, were initially heard by Additional Judge Justice Azam Khan.
The petitioner was represented by lawyers Zahid Asif Chaudhry, Iqbal Kakar, and others, while the PTI Chairman’s legal team included Ali Bukhari, Shoaib Shaheen, and Niazullah Niazi.
These appeals were submitted against a decision made by an Additional Sessions Judge in July 2024.
During the hearing, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen requested the case be transferred to a different bench, citing Justice Azam Khan’s alleged prior bias.
Justice Azam Khan clarified that he had only dealt with a review petition on an earlier order and had not formed any prejudiced opinion.
In response to the defense counsel’s objection, the court referred the matter to Chief Justice Aamer Farooq for assigning a new bench.
The appeal file has now been officially transferred to the Chief Justice for further proceedings.
