ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday adjourned contempt hearing against State Minister for Interior Muhammad Tallal Chaudhry until after Eid holidays.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed heading a three-member bench tended to record evidences from 15 more defense witnesses out of the 17 today. Earlier two of the witnesses had recorded their testimonies.
Tallal’s defense counsel Kamran Murtaza during the last hearing had pled the court to set the date of the hearing for next week owing to his unavailability.
In response, Justice Ahmed said that the court had prior commitments for the next two weeks, to which Murtaza requested the court to adjourn the hearing till after Eid Holidays as the witnesses testimonies would take time.
The bench adjourned the case proceedings until June 19.
During the hearing a senior lawyer remarked that Chaudhry will not be the Minister once the court resumes contempt hearings, thus the political situation will be changed.
On Thursday, two of the witnesses had recorded their testimonies stating that as per their understanding Chaudhry had not uttered any contemptuous remarks against the court or the judges during the Jaranwala public rally.
After the testimonies, Murtaza had cross-examined the two witnesses along with his opponent Additional Attorney General (AAG) Muhammad Waqar Rana.
The court during the proceedings had time and again reminded the witness Israr Ahmed that he was under oath and shall only speak the truth, to which the defense counsel remarked that it did not befit the judges to give such reminders.
On the other hand, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) general manager (operations) Mohammad Tahir could not appear before the court even after being summoned, as he was already attending Lahore High Court (LHC) proceedings.
Apex court judge said that Tahir should have sought adjournment from LHC as SC had precedence over all courts.
Both the witnesses upon being questioned by the AAG maintained the view that the media had mixed Chaudry’s remarks, which were uttered but not in continuity.