Imaan, Hadi approach SC seeking early hearing of appeals against conviction in social media posts case

ISLAMABAD: Human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, on Thursday approached the Supreme Court (SC), seeking an early hearing of their appeals against their conviction under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in the controversial social media posts case. On January 24, a sessions court had sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple charges in the case. The lawyer duo were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 10 (cyber terrorism), five years’ imprisonment under Section 9 (glorification of an offence) and two years’ imprisonment under Section 26-A (false and fake information) of Peca. Moved through senior counsel Faisal Siddiqi under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, the application filed in the SC on Thursday requested the grant of leave to appeal against the Feb 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) order. The IHC in February had admitted the appeal against the trial court’s verdict. However, while it had issued notices to the respondents on the application for the suspension of sentence, it had not suspended the sentence. The fresh application filed before the SC called for fixing the appeals preferably in the week commencing from May 4. The petition contended that the appeals be accepted and the sentence awarded to the petitioners through the impugned judgement be suspended till the disposal of the criminal appeal pending before the IHC. Citing urgency, the application contended that it was the SC’s settled policy that criminal matters should be given priority, especially when the matters pertain to bail or suspension of sentence. The petitioners had no other adequate remedy available to them other than to file the appeals, as the IHC, after issuing notices through the Feb 19 order, had not fixed any date for the hearing, the petitions said. In terms of Section 7 of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act, 2023, it is expressly stated that any application pleading urgency wil