Model Town case: Petitioners asked to approach CJ for larger bench on plea against new JIT

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench Thursday directed the lawyers of petitioners to approach the chief justice if they wanted to have a larger bench constituted to hear a challenge against the formation of a new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in 2014 Model Town firing incident.A police inspector and other officials facing trial in the Model Town incident had assailed the new JIT pleading that fresh investigation could not be held after the indictment of suspects in a case.During the course of hearing, petitioners’ counsel Burhan Moazzam Malik and others argued that a larger bench should be constituted to hear the matter. The two-judge bench headed by Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan observed that the power to constitute larger bench rested with the chief justice of the high court.Therefore, the judge asked the lawyers to approach the chief justice for the required relief. The bench adjourned hearing for a date to be fixed later. The petitioners had contended that the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 did not allow formation of second JIT in the same case.They pointed out that the trial in the Model Town case was at final stage as 86 out of 135 witnesses had been testified before the trial court. They said that a judicial inquiry and a JIT had already investigated the 2014 firing incident.The petitioners said the Supreme Court in its decision had not ordered constitution of the new JIT but the Punjab government itself agreed to hold a fresh investigation in the case. They asked the court to declare illegal the government’s act of establishing the new JIT for being in violation of the existing laws. The Punjab home department had on January 3 formed the JIT for a fresh probe into the Model Town incident.Earlier, the apex court on December 5, 2018, disposed of a petition by Model Town incident’s affectees after the government undertook to form a new JIT to probe the case. The new JIT resumed its proceedings and summoned former provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah. On June 17, 2014, 14 people were killed and 100 others injured when police opened fire to disperse protesting activists of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) during an anti-encroachment operation outside the residence of PAT chief Tahirul Qadri.

from The News International - National http://bit.ly/2HJRmVy