IHC dismisses contempt case against Imaan Mazari

The Islamabad High Court has dismissed a contempt of court petition filed against lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari, declaring it inadmissible.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani authored the 13-page verdict in a case brought by Hafiz Ihtesham Ahmed, who had sought initiation of contempt proceedings under Article 204 of the Constitution read with Sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003.

The petitioner alleged that during a November 27 speech at the National Press Club last year, Mazari claimed that trial court judges handling blasphemy cases privately acknowledge the absence of evidence against accused individuals but still convict them due to public pressure and religious sentiment.

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In its ruling, the court observed that Mazari had not singled out any specific judge or targeted the judiciary by name, noting that her remarks were general in nature. Justice Kayani wrote that even if the statement was “ill-informed or based on incorrect assumptions,” it did not meet the legal threshold of scandalisation.

The court further held that there was no evidence of mala fide intent or mens rea, and that Mazari’s remarks were not made with the deliberate intention of undermining the judiciary’s authority or reputation.

Finding no prima facie material to justify contempt proceedings, the IHC dismissed the petition in its entirety.