The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Wednesday petitioned the Supreme Court to set aside the Lahore High Court's decision last month to grant PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah bail in a case regarding the illegal possession of drugs.

According to the ANF's petition in the SC, the LHC's decision to grant Sanaullah bail is contrary to the law. The ANF has asked the top court to repeal Sanaullah's bail and for the PML-N lawmaker to be returned to the force's custody.

On July 1, 2019, the former Punjab law minister was arrested by the ANF Lahore team while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on motorway, claiming to have seized 15 kilogrammes heroin from his vehicle. A special team of the force had also arrested five others, including the driver and security guards of the PML-N leader.

The FIR was lodged under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail term that may extend to 14 years, along with a fine up to Rs1 million.

A special court for Control of Narcotics Substance (CNS) had on September 20 dismissed a bail petition by Sanaullah while releasing five co-suspects. On November 9, a second bail petition filed by Sanaullah was dismissed by a CNS court.

The PML-N leader had filed a bail petition in the LHC on October 2. The petition was, however, withdrawn the next day, to file the same at a later stage. In December, Sanaullah had once again petitioned the LHC for post-arrest bail. The PML-N lawmaker was granted bail by the high court on December 24, 2019, against surety bonds worth Rs2 million.