IHC Orders 5-day deadline for Imran Khan bail decision under national judicial policy

ISLAMABAD, Sep 19 (NH): The Islamabad High Court has issued a written order regarding the bail plea of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Toshakhana II case, stating that bail decisions must be made within five days as per the National Judicial Policy.
Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb released a three-page decision, citing the National Judicial Policy, which mandates that magistrates decide bail applications within three days and session courts within five days. The High Court itself must reach a decision within seven days.
The ruling clarified that the timeframe set for session courts also applies to special courts, meaning the Special Judge Central has the authority to decide bail under the policy.
With this ruling, a decision on the bail applications of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi is expected within the next five working days. The petitioners had argued that their bail requests were being unnecessarily delayed, and their legal team urged the court to expedite the decision.
The FIA's stance, as noted in the decision, was that the court would rule on the bail requests according to legal procedures. After the case was transferred to the FIA, the bail applications have been pending with the Special Judge Central.