Pak govt says SC bench can hold CJ trial

In a surprise move, Pakistan government on Thursday gave up its insistence on the trial of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry by a judicial panel and told the Supreme Court it has no objection if the full bench, currently hearing the judge8217;s petition challenging the Presidential reference, hears the charges.

Court proceedings were thrown into turmoil as state counsel Mallik Qayyum told the bench that he has been instructed by President Pervez Musharraf to inform it that the government was ready to withdraw its objections to the judge8217;s petition.

During the proceedings, Government lawyers had been passionately arguing that the SC can not hear petition challenging a Presidential reference due to constitutional immunity enjoyed by Musharraf. They also doggedly defended the legality of the five-judge Supreme Judicial Council SJC to conduct trial against Chaudhry.

Qayyum told the court that the government is ready to drop its objections on both the counts.