Pakistan's Supreme Court is expected to rule within the next few days on President Pervez Musharraf's suspension of the nation's chief justice.
The main lawyer representing Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry is due to conclude his arguments on Friday. The 13-member panel hearing the case could issue a judgment as early as Friday afternoon.
General Musharraf removed Chaudhry from his post in March, accusing him of abuse of office. The suspension has sparked nationwide protests against the government and outrage among Pakistan's legal community and the political opposition.
The Supreme Court panel will rule on the legality of the suspension and the jurisdiction of a judicial body that is investigating the charges against Chaudhry.
Lawyers representing Chaudhry have accused that investigating panel of bias.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.