ISLAMABAD: The anti-terrorism court in the federal capital which has been hearing the judges' detention case granted exemption to former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf for appearing during today's hearing and ordered the former president to turn up at the next hearing of the case, DawnNews reported.

The request for Musharraf's exemption submitted in the anti-terror court said the former president was suffering from a pain in the backbone due to which he could not appear in court today.

While granting the former president exemption from today's appearance, the ATC warned of strict action against Musharraf's guarantors in case he fails to show up for the next hearing of the case.

The court subsequently adjourned the hearing of the case to May 23.

The judges' detention case is based on an FIR registered in August 2009 against the retired general on the complaint of Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam Ghumman advocate.

Ghumman had asked the police to initiate legal proceedings against Musharraf for detaining over 60 judges, including then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after proclamation of a state of emergency in the country on Nov 3, 2007.

Ever since his return to Pakistan prior to the May 2013 general elections, Musharraf has been facing a barrage of high-profile cases, including the Bugti murder case and the Benazir Bhutto murder case.

The federal government in Nov 2013 decided to try Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution and a special court was set up in the federal capital city in this regard.

He was indicted for treason on Mar 31 this year but pleaded not guilty to the charges read out against him.

He later shifted to Karachi where he has been staying since April 20, 2014 and has been undergoing treatment for his medical ailments.