High courts can intervene in case of unfair trials in military courts, opined senior lawyers on Monday after the Lahore and Sindh high courts suspended death penalties of seven people convicted by military courts.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Fazal Haq Abbasi and Advocate Ali Zafar Advocate said that there should be a right of appeal against verdicts of military courts.
In case of the recent suspensions, Abbasi said that the LHC had used “special powers” to suspend capital punishments given to convicts.
“The decisions of military courts cannot be challenged in any court as these verdicts have been given through special powers. The cases of military persons cannot be heard in the civilian courts,” said the SCBA president.
“There is no specific law regarding a civilian who gets convicted in military courts. Article 10-A of the constitution gives surety of a fair trial. High courts possibly can interfere in any case if the culprits are not given fair trial,” he added.