Contempt plea against PM Imran dismissed

LHC sustains objection raised by registrar’s office

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh on Thursday dismissed a contempt plea filed against Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking a veiled dig at the top judiciary.

During a speech in November last year, the premier had urged judges to dispel the perception of double standards in the dispensation of justice.

The LHC registrar’s office raised the objection that no attested copy of the Supreme Court’s contempt notice and attested copies of other relevant documents had been attached to the petition.

The LHC CJ sustained the objection and dismissed the plea.
The petitioner had prayed to the court to summon PM Imran in person, proceed against him and then punish him in accordance with law. He also sought the premier’s disqualification as a member of parliament.

The Supreme Court had also issued a contempt notice to Imran Khan in 2013 for delivering a hate speech against judiciary, the petitioner further contended.

“The words used by PM Imran Khan were highly objectionable and incriminating and tantamount to influence court proceedings pending before the court regarding different politicians,” the petition read.

Petition challenges LHC verdict in Musharraf case

The PM’s remarks had come after the LHC overruled a government condition for former premier Nawaz Sharif to submit a multi billion-rupee indemnity bond for permission to fly abroad for medical treatment.

The criticism of the judiciary by the prime minister did not go down well with the country’s top judges. Then chief justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa made a scathing rejoinder the next day advising PM Imran not to “taunt the judiciary” in any way.

“I do not want to comment on the particular case [of Nawaz Sharif], which the prime minister had referred to but he [PM] will be aware that he himself gave [Nawaz] permission to go abroad,” he said.
“That’s why he should refrain from making such statements. No one is perfect. We are changing. Don’t compare us with the judiciary which had existed before 2009,” he added.

Talking about the LHC order, Khosa said: “There was only discussion on modalities of the matter [Nawaz Sharif’s exit] before the LHC. Don’t taunt us about powerful people as no one is powerful before the court. Only the law is powerful.”