Marvi Memon requests action against irrigation secretaries

Petition says secretaries committed contempt of court by not implementing flood commission's recommendations.

ISLAMABAD:

Former Member National Assembly Marvi Memon has requested the Supreme Court (SC) to proceed against irrigation secretaries of Punjab and Sindh for committing contempt of court by not implementing the flood commission’s recommendations and neglecting to guard against possible destruction this year.

The flood commission was constituted by the apex court to investigate allegations of deliberate breaches in the Tori bund and other dykes which caused massive devastation during last year’s floods on petitions filed by Marvi and others. She has appealed to the apex court to direct the government to implement the flood commission’s recommendations in letter and spirit. She has also asked that the commission be tasked to inspect the dykes and expedite repairs before this year’s monsoon. She has petitioned the apex court to prosecute negligent officials with a custodial sentence in her petition filed under Articles 187, 190 and 204 of the Constitution.

Marvi maintained in her petition that implementation of Article 190 is mandatory and it states that, “The Executive is duty-bound to act in aid of the Supreme Court and implement the judgment of the apex court in letter and spirit without any delay.” She contended that non-implementation or delay in execution of SC’s orders constitutes contempt of court in terms of Article 204 of the Constitution and the contemnors have made themselves liable to be punished accordingly.

The former parliamentarian stated that ‘the contemnors have acted in flagrant and contumacious contempt’ by failing to implement the commission’s report. “The contemnors have thereby abused and deliberately sought to defeat the process of the court and sully the stream of justice. The acts of commission and omission of the contemnors leave no doubt that they have deliberately and contumaciously chosen to disobey the order of the SC,” states the petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2011.