A local court in Islamabad rejected former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's petition asking it to suspend the non-bailable arrest warrants issued against him in the Toshakhana case on Thursday.
In his ruling, Additional District and Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal stated that the warrants against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party head could not be dismissed, before redirecting police to arrest him and bring him to court on March 18.
Slamming Khan's repeated non-appearances, the court said: "It was quite obvious from the record that the applicant has never appeared in the court on any date of hearing and his personal appearance has been exempted on four occasions."
The order added that the cricketer-turned-politician had "challenged the dignity and writ of the state."
The scathing remarks came after Khan's supporters fought pitched battles with police personnel who went to arrest him from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on two separate occasions.
"Brutal force has been used in obstruction of police officials for discharge of their duty and after creating such [a] state of affairs, the applicant may not claim suspension of the warrant," the court mentioned.
Khan's indictment in the Toshakhana case was announced on February 28, but his counsel urged the court to exempt him from personal appearance as he had to be present in other courts where another set of cases was being heard against him.
However, when he didn't present himself in court despite repeated summons, the judicial body issued non-bailable warrants against him earlier this month.
But Khan got relief from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) recently, asking him to appear before the sessions court on March 13. Khan, however, didn't comply with the IHC order and the sessions court reissued his arrest warrants on Monday.
Subsequently, PTI workers and police clashed with each other when the cops arrived to arrest Khan from his home in Lahore.