SC adjourns Mahrang Baloch bail case without proceedings

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred proceedings on a bail petition filed against the detention of prominent Baloch rights defender Dr Mahrang Baloch.

The hearing was adjourned without further proceedings after lawyer Jibran Nasir, the counsel representing the petitioner, sought a formal postponement.

The matter was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.

Dr Baloch was detained on March 22, 2025 under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law, a preventive detention framework that allows authorities to hold individuals considered a threat to public order.

The arrest was challenged in the Supreme Court after her sister, Nadia Baloch, filed an appeal against a Balochistan High Court decision that had referred the matter back to the provincial administration.

The petition argues that the deputy commissioner was not empowered under the law to issue the detention order, stating that such authority rests with the provincial government when conditions under the MPO are met.

It further contends that the high court erred in directing the petitioner to first exhaust administrative remedies before seeking judicial relief, arguing that such a requirement is not mandatory under constitutional or legal provisions.

Dr Baloch, a prominent human rights activist, has been at the centre of a broader debate over the use of preventive detention laws in Balochistan.

The petition has also sought the annulment of both the high court’s ruling and the detention order, declaring them unlawful.

Legal observers say the case could set an important precedent regarding the scope and application of MPO powers in the province, particularly in cases involving political and rights-based activism.