**Bat Symbol Verdict: Justice Athar Minallah Says ECP Misinterpreted SC Judgment**
1. SC judge says court cannot "turn blind eye by ignoring grave allegations" regarding electoral process
**ISLAMABAD:** Supreme Court Justice Athar Minallah stated on Saturday that the apex court's verdict in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) electoral symbol case was apparently misunderstood by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as it did not intend to bar the political party from participating in the elections.
"Prima facie, the interpretation was flawed, and the judgment could not have been construed as having the effect of disqualifying a major political party from the general elections," wrote Justice Minallah in an additional note in the reserved seats case being heard by a full court led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.
The full court bench, led by the CJP, includes Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Minallah, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
In his note, Justice Minallah emphasized that the ECP's decision denied voters their fundamental rights and misinterpreted the Supreme Court's ruling.
