LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) full bench on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a petition, regarding the mechanism to assail decisions of anti-terrorism courts (ATCs), on conclusion of arguments.
The five-member bench, headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, heard the petition filed by a citizen Saleem Shah.
During the proceedings, the amicus curie (friends of court) submitted that ATCs’ decisions could be challenged through the criminal revisions. They submitted that under Section 32 of Anti-Terrorism Act, the ATCs had status of sessions courts.
Since the sessions courts were under the high court, therefore, the high court had authority to review under sections of Criminal Procedure Code, they added.
Subsequently, the bench reserved its verdict on the petition after an additional advocate general concluded arguments in the case.
The bench had appointed advocates Azam Nazir Tarar, Usman Naseem, Farhad Ali Shah and Mian Ali Haider amicus curie (friends of court) in the case.
The petitioner had stated that the LHC in one verdict ruled that writ petitions could be filed against the decisions of the ATCs while another ruled that criminal revisions were required to be filed in this regard.
The petitioner submitted that he wanted to challenge a decision by a Multan ATC in the murder case of his brother.
However, he said he was in quandary as how to assail the decision of the trial court in the existence of two different verdicts of the high court.
