The Supreme Court has formally admitted the petition filed by the PTI chairman seeking a judicial inquiry into the May 9 incidents for a full hearing.

A constitutional bench of the apex court overturned the registrar’s office’s objections to the petition and directed the office to assign a case number and schedule the hearing.

The PTI chairman was represented by senior lawyer Hamid Khan, who appeared before the court to advocate for the petition’s admissibility.

Earlier, the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) found Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan guilty in the cases related to the events of May 9 and rejected his bail in eight separate cases.

The court’s ruling was issued in a written decision by ATC Judge Manzar Ali Gul, which spans six pages.

The written verdict highlighted significant evidence against the PTI founder, including audio and visual recordings of his instructions to provoke violence.

The court noted that witnesses had testified to the conspiracy orchestrated by Imran Khan at Zaman Park, where he allegedly prepared for his potential arrest by planning to disrupt state functions through his supporters.

Imran Khan’s legal team argued that he had been arrested when the incidents took place, suggesting that bail should be granted based on precedents where bail was given in similar cases after arrest.

However, the court dismissed this argument, emphasising that the nature of the case was not a trivial matter of conspiracy or incitement.

The prosecution presented a case in which Mr Khan had directly incited attacks on military and government installations and had mobilized both his leaders and supporters to follow these instructions.

The decision further referenced the Lahore High Court’s ruling on a previous bail granted to Ijaz Chaudhry, citing the role of Imran Khan in the conspiracy. The court rejected the defense’s objection that the prosecution had failed to specify a date, time, or location for the alleged conspiracy, confirming that the plot was allegedly hatched on May 7 and May 9 at Zaman Park.

According to the prosecution, undercover police officers, who were posing as PTI supporters, overheard conversations detailing the conspiracy.