Court tells PEMRA to stop TV shows maligning judiciary
Petition seeks action against ‘malicious’ statements about judges on TV talk shows.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) not to allow airing of any television programme or talk show containing malicious content against judges and the institution of judiciary.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the LHC passed this order while hearing a writ petition seeking action against parliamentarians who make ‘malicious’ statements against the judiciary.
Justice Sheikh also directed the federal government, information ministry, and Pemra to submit their replies in this regard on November 5, the date of next hearing.
During the hearing, Justice Sheikh also remarked that Article 68 of the Constitution had restrained even the parliament from holding debate about judges of the superior courts.
Advocate Azhar Siddique, the counsel for the petitioner argued that many politicians had been carrying out malicious campaign against the Chief Justice of Pakistan and other judges and all news channels and newspapers had been reporting their press conferences without verifying the allegations.
The counsel said PPP Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Sindh Minister Sharjeel Memon, MPAs Shaukat Basra and Raja Riaz stood disqualified under Article 63(1g) and 62(1f) because they had ridiculed the judiciary in various TV programmes.
The counsel argued that the mechanism for holding the judiciary accountable and for their removal from the office had been clearly laid down in the Constitution.
Therefore suspending or forcibly removing or compelling the judges to resign through a media campaign was totally unconstitutional, illegal and an attempt to ruin the institution of judiciary, he added.
He said the Supreme Court in its judgment against the Contempt of Court Law 2012 had ruled that the parliament could not discuss conduct of the judges.
Advocate Azhar Siddique asked the court to order Pemra to suspend licence of any national news channel that showed any such interview or press conference containing defamatory statements or allegations against the judges.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2012.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) not to allow airing of any television programme or talk show containing malicious content against judges and the institution of judiciary.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the LHC passed this order while hearing a writ petition seeking action against parliamentarians who make ‘malicious’ statements against the judiciary.
Justice Sheikh also directed the federal government, information ministry, and Pemra to submit their replies in this regard on November 5, the date of next hearing.
During the hearing, Justice Sheikh also remarked that Article 68 of the Constitution had restrained even the parliament from holding debate about judges of the superior courts.
Advocate Azhar Siddique, the counsel for the petitioner argued that many politicians had been carrying out malicious campaign against the Chief Justice of Pakistan and other judges and all news channels and newspapers had been reporting their press conferences without verifying the allegations.
The counsel said PPP Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Sindh Minister Sharjeel Memon, MPAs Shaukat Basra and Raja Riaz stood disqualified under Article 63(1g) and 62(1f) because they had ridiculed the judiciary in various TV programmes.
The counsel argued that the mechanism for holding the judiciary accountable and for their removal from the office had been clearly laid down in the Constitution.
Therefore suspending or forcibly removing or compelling the judges to resign through a media campaign was totally unconstitutional, illegal and an attempt to ruin the institution of judiciary, he added.
He said the Supreme Court in its judgment against the Contempt of Court Law 2012 had ruled that the parliament could not discuss conduct of the judges.
Advocate Azhar Siddique asked the court to order Pemra to suspend licence of any national news channel that showed any such interview or press conference containing defamatory statements or allegations against the judges.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 17th, 2012.