Islamabad (HRNW)- The Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling declaring that it does not have the jurisdiction to hear appeals and bail applications in cases under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Act.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar announced the short order, stating that, under Sections 32 and 32A of the NAB Act, all central appeals and bail applications related to NAB cases will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The ruling further states that all pending cases under Article 175A and the relevant provisions of the NAB Act shall be treated as transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court.
The decision comes in the wake of legal questions regarding jurisdiction raised during an ongoing NAB case before the Supreme Court. The NAB Act was amended on March 5, 2026, transferring the authority to hear such appeals to the Federal Constitutional Court.
The case was heard by a three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarat Hilali, and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that bail matters should continue to be heard by the Supreme Court, while Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan and NAB’s legal team maintained that all such matters fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court.
The Supreme Court has also issued a detailed 30-page judgment explaining that all pending criminal appeals and applications under the NAB law should be transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court. The court observed that jurisdiction is determined by law and cannot be altered based on the preference of litigants, adding that allowing petitioners to choose forums would amount to unlawful forum shopping.
The ruling is expected to impact several high-profile accountability cases, including pending bail matters involving PTI founder Imran Khan and other NAB-related proceedings.
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