LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on post-arrest bail petitions of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf founding chairman Imran Khan in eight cases of May 9 riots due to the unavailability of relevant records.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Syed Shehbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh took up the petitions.

During the hearing, a special prosecutor informed the bench that the records of the cases were submitted to the Supreme Court and had not yet been returned.

At this, the bench deferred the proceedings of the bail petitions till April 23.

Several PTI leaders were present during the hearing. An anti-terrorism court had on Nov 27, 2024 denied bail to the former prime minister in these eight cases.

The bail petitionsmainly argue that the prosecution failed to establish the petitioner`s association with the unfortunate occurrences narrated in the FIRs.

They say the petitioner has been implicated in the May 9 cases as a result of a well-orchestrated plan merely to harass and humiliate him for political reasons even though admittedly he was in the custody of the NAB.

The sole allegation against the petitioner in the cases is of `abetment`, which has been supplemented by the prosecution most vaguely, the pleas add.

They argue that the trial judge overlooked the fact that frivolous and baseless allegations related to the May 9 events have already been rejected due to inconsistencies in the story of the investigating agency.

The petitions ask the LHC to set aside the trial court`s decision and grant bail to the former prime minister in the eight FIRs.