An anti-electronic crimes court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday acquitted former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator Faisal Raza Abidi in a contempt case. Abidi, a former PPP Karachi chief, was acquitted in a case regarding alleged use of derogatory language against the judiciary. He was arrested outside the Supreme Court building in October by the Secretariat Police after registration of an FIR for using defamatory and insulting language against the chief justice and the judiciary in an interview. The FIA had booked Abidi under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. The FIR registered against the former senator said that Abidi, with criminal intent, had used sarcastic, derogatory and defamatory language against the chief justice of Pakistan and was prima facie guilty of offences punishable under sections 10(a), 11 and 20 of PECA, read with sections 109 and 509 of the PPC.