Lahore High Court Justice Shujaat Ali Khan has sent all petitions challenging the election of Hamza Shehbaz as chief minister of Punjab back to the LHC chief justice, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
LHC Justice Shujaat Ali Khan heard a set of petitions seeking to nullify the election of Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz on Monday.
During the hearing, Azhar Siddique Advocate contended that the case was almost completed in the court of Chief Justice Bhatti but the files were sent to this court.
Justice Shujaat Ali observed that there was no order available regarding the transfer of the files. So, the judge returned the petitions filed by Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pervaiz Elahi, Munir Ahmad and others back to Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ameer Bhatti.
LHC Chief Justice Bhatti was hearing petitions against Hamza Shehbaz. The petitioners contended that after the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Article 63-A, Chief Minister Hamza had lost his constitutional right to remain in power and requested the court to restrain him from holding office as he had lost the majority in the provincial assembly.
The court was pleaded to declare all measures and actions adopted by the incumbent chief minister as “illegal and unconstitutional”.
During the May 30 hearing of the case, Chief Justice Bhatti remarked that the Supreme Court short order specified that votes of the dissident members would not be counted if the voting was pending.
“If we apply this order on past cases then it means that all decisions will be reversed,” CJ Bhatti remarked.
Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz also submitted his 16-page reply to the court on May 230 in which he insisted that his election was held in accordance with the rules and constitution of the country.
He held that the election for the chief minister was held before the interpretation of Article 63-A by the Supreme Court and the interpretation did not affect the election.
He further stated that the investigation related to the election by the former governor was illegal and the Punjab Assembly secretary, too, had no jurisdiction to inquire into the election.
Hamza requested the court to dismiss petitions against his election after imposing a fine on the petitioners.
Reporter Malik Ashraf