New contempt law: SC forms larger bench, to hear cases on July 23

A preliminary hearing was conducted at Quetta registry after which notices were issued to top offices.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has constituted a five-member bench for hearing cases pertaining to petitions filed against the new contempt of court law and will hear them on July 23, Express News reported on Friday.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, will include Justices Shakirullah Jan, Tasadduq Jilani, Jawwad S Khawaja and Khilji Arif.

The chief justice conducted a preliminary hearing of the cases at the Quetta Registry of the Supreme Court after which notices were issued to the federation, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, chairman Senate, National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza, Law Minister Farooq H Naek, Attorney General Irfan Qadir and the cabinet division.

At least 13 petitions have been filed against the law that was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari on July 13 in an attempt to grant immunity to all public office holders against contempt of court.

Within a day of its final approval, two petitions were filed in the Supreme Court’s Lahore and Quetta registries challenging it.