- Police present case record before court during hearing.
- Case against Mazari, Chattha registered at Kohsar police station.
- Lawyer couple sentenced to 10 years in prison last week.
ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday granted bail to lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case involving an alleged altercation with police.
Judge Abul Hasanat Zulqarnain approved their bail against surety bonds of Rs5,000 each.
During the hearing, police submitted the case record before the court.
The case against Mazari and Ali was registered at Kohsar police station on charges of interfering in official duties.
The development came a week after the lawyer couple was sentenced to 10 years in prison each in a separate case of security breach case, under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 and fines of Rs100,000.
This case, registered at Aabpara Police Station, stems from allegations that the lawyer couple posed a security risk by interfering in state affairs during the visit of an international cricket team in October 2024.
According to the court’s order, the lawyer couple was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and fined Rs50,000 under Section 353, while Section 186 carries a one-year prison term and an additional fine of Rs50,000.
The court, however, granted the defendants the benefit of Section 382.
The court indicted Mazari and Chattha on October 7 in the case registered on October 25, 2024.
Rearrest
The lawyer couple has been in custody since their arrest on January 23 in a case registered against them over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court.
A day later, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in a case related to controversial social media posts.
On September 17, following months of proceedings, the Supreme Court suspended the couple’s sentences in a case related to controversial tweets and granted them bail against surety bonds worth Rs200,000 each, until the final decision on the case pending before the Islamabad High Court.
However, the relief was short-lived. Hours later, Islamabad police arrested the couple again in connection with another case and produced them before an anti-terrorism court (ATC).
According to the FIR, Mazari and her husband were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads during a protest.
