Former Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi was granted bail in connection with an alleged illegal appointment case in the Punjab Assembly.
The case was heard by Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhary.
Elahi had been in custody since June 1 last year, facing a series of releases and re-arrests.
The legal challenges coincided with a state crackdown on the PTI following violent protests on May 9.
The case revolves around the alleged illegal appointment of Muhammad Khan Bhatti as the principal secretary during Elahi’s tenure.
Although Elahi secured bail in this specific case, he remains under arrest in other cases.
During the hearing, Elahi’s counsels, Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn and Farman Munis, informed the court that a judicial magistrate had discharged Bhatti from the case.
Rawn argued that the notification for Bhatti’s appointment was issued by the Punjab chief secretary before Elahi assumed the role of CM.
He pointed out that the chief secretary had not been made a respondent, suggesting the case was politically motivated. The court granted Elahi bail against surety bonds worth Rs100,000.
In the initial arrest last year, Elahi was accused of involvement in illegal recruitments to the Punjab Assembly, specifically changing test results to select preferred candidates.
Subsequently, on September 18, he was arrested for allegedly making an illegal appointment of Bhatti.
A Lahore court then sent him on judicial remand.
In October, a district and sessions court granted police a two-day physical remand for Elahi in the case. The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment later claimed to have recovered Rs4.1 million from Elahi’s house. In November, a judicial magistrate discharged Bhatti in the case, but he remained in jail for other corruption charges.
Elahi was denied bail in the same case later that month.
