The Supreme Court has fixed bail petitions filed by Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case for hearing on December 22.

The petitions will be heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood.

The bench will include Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Masoor Ali Shah as well.

The cipher case has charged the former prime minister and former foreign minister of illegally retaining and communicating the contents of a classified diplomatic cable sent to Pakistan by the country’s ambassador in Washington.

Khan and Qureshi are being tried by a special court under the Official Secrets Act. All hearings in the case have so far been held inside the Adiala Jail.

Although Islamabad High Court had ordered an open trial with media and public present, the special court ordered on Thursday that the trial would once again be in-camera. The court also banned all media coverage of the trial.

The Islamabad High Court has already rejected the bail of the two leaders in the case, instead ordering the special court to quickly conclude the trial.