ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Minister of State for Interior and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Talal Chaudhry to appear on Monday along with his counsel to face the contempt of court proceedings. A three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Faisal Arab, heard the contempt of court case against Talal Chaudhry. As the hearing commenced, Talal Chaudhry told the court that he had engaged Asma Jahangir as his counsel to defend him in the contempt case, however she had passed away. He requested the court to grant him some more time to engage a lawyer. The court them directed him to appear on February 19 along with his counsel. On Feb 6, the court had issued a show-cause notice to Talal Chaudhry, directing him to furnish his reply within a week as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him for his contemptuous remarks and speeches against the judiciary. Talal Chaudhry had requested the court to grant him three weeks time to engage his lawyer. The court, however, had granted him a week to engage his counsel and adjourned the hearing until February 13. On Feb 1, the court had taken suo-motu notice of Talal Chaudhry’s anti-judiciary speeches and issued a contempt of court notice. “You have made derogatory and contemptuous speeches and statements at public gatherings, telecast by different TV channels, which prima facie constitute interference with and obstruction of the process of the court as well as aimed at belittling the stature of this apex court within the contemplation of Article 204 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, read with Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003,” the contempt notice had stated. During his speech at a PML-N’s rally in Jaranwala, Talal Chaudhry had said, “There was an era when the Kaabah was full of idols. Today, the judiciary, which is the country’s highest institution, is also full of PCO (Provisional Constitution Order) idols.” The same day, the court had issued a contempt notice to Talal Chaudhry, it also had disqualified Senator Nehal Hashmi from holding any public office for five years under Article 63 (1)(g) of the constitution, besides awarding him one-month imprisonment along with Rs 50,000 fine for committing contempt of court. The court has also issued a contempt notice to Privatization Minister Daniyal Aziz for his anti-judiciary remarks.
Published in Daily Times, February 14th 2018.
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