Islamabad (HRNW) An Islamabad court on Tuesday morning rejected the bail plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill in a sedition case because ‘sufficient incriminating material is present’.
This was contained in the verdict penned by Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal.
In the nine-page verdict, Judge Iqbal noted that “prima facie, the accused has, at least, committed the offence under Section 131 Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).”
The judge added that the offence with which Gill has been charged with falls within the prohibitory clause of Section 497 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The section relates the grant of bail for an otherwise non-bailable offence.
Moreover, the judge noted that no codal formality under section 196 CrPC is required for lodging of FIR for the offence.
“Sufficient incriminating material is available on the record against the accused; therefore, this bail petition is dismissed,” the judge ruled.
Judge Iqbal added that “all the observations made in this bail order are tentative in nature and will have no effect on the merits of the case.”