ISLAMABAD: The one-day-old contempt of court bill passed in the National Assembly on Monday has been challenged in the Supreme Court for being contradictory to the constitution, Express News reported on Tuesday.
An advocate of the Supreme Court, Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch, filed this petition in the court which pleads that this bill should be declared void. The federation has been made party to this petition as well.
The bill, effectively providing immunity to high-office holders to disobey court orders and a free hand for the public to criticise the judiciary, was bulldozed through the National Assembly on Monday night by the government.
The 13-clause bill was passed in a marathon session of the National Assembly amid protest by the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which called it a “black day for democracy.”
The opposition raised objections against the government’s decision to not send the bill to the relevant standing committee for deliberations and they kept on demanding time as per rules.
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Contemp of judge is not contemp of judiciary...... There is no concept of contemp of court in Islam ,,,,,,,,,, bash the law of contemp of court ASAP
There can be no defense for a lame bill such as this unless you are determined to accept all the rights and wrongs of PPP as a holy edict. The NRO parliament should have been disbanded the day NRO was promulgated null and void and mid term elections announced. As for the PCO judges, he fought the dictator with his own mettle and all those chanting against him were favoring them at that moment.
It is not the "bill" or the law which is challenged in the SC but the debate in the NA and Senate. The bill is not final or is not the law yet the PCO SC made a mockery of parliament and elected govt to accept it for hearing! There are many a steps between the cup and the lip and the final form of bill is not determined yet. It is the debate in the parliament that is stifle. Even if it were unconstitutional it cannot be challenged before it is borne, like sentenced to death during pregnancy and before the birth.
PPP has made a mockery out of the state. This is insane law and awaits the imminent abrogation. All the allies are equally culpable. Those beating drums of the sanity of PML-N for not resigning from the parliament to thwart adverse legislation have an answer to make for their contention. The passage of this law is severely detrimental to the sanctity of parliament.
It is surprising that SC has not yet struck the new law down by convening full court after mid night.
Another beauty of democracy..
Can we rent a constitution? We have an expert now, who can rent away contempt, whole or part of the constitution ... We know who it is, the one and only Mr. Rental