Contempt proceedings: NAB chairman’s counsel calls for recusal of CJ
Insists Iftikhar Chaudhry should be removed from bench for being ‘biased’.
Insists Iftikhar Chaudhry should be removed from bench for being ‘biased’.
ISLAMABAD:
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari insisted on Monday for the recusal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from the bench hearing contempt proceedings against him. Bokhari claims the chief justice is biased against him and is thus not fit to preside over the case.
“Will the chief justice head a bench carrying out contempt of court proceedings against the NAB chief when his own son Dr Arsalan Iftikhar appears as a witness?” asked Bokhari’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa.
Khosa, who is also a former governor of Punjab, argued on behalf of his client before a five-member bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.
Khosa also said there were other reasons to question the impartiality of Justice Chaudhry while trying Bokhari for contempt charges.
The bench, also comprising Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed and Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman adjourned the hearing of the intra-court appeal of Bokhari against his indictment for contempt till April 11.
Khosa argued that the request for the recusal of Justice Chaudhry from the three-member bench was made only after they pleaded that the bench that initiated the proceedings should not hold the trial.
“You mean that if your request for formation of a new bench was accepted you might not have raised the question of bias and partiality?” questioned Justice Nisar.
Meanwhile, the three-member bench headed by the chief justice and comprising of Justice Ameer Muslim Hani and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed deferred the proceedings regarding indictment of Bokhari till April 10.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari insisted on Monday for the recusal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from the bench hearing contempt proceedings against him. Bokhari claims the chief justice is biased against him and is thus not fit to preside over the case.
“Will the chief justice head a bench carrying out contempt of court proceedings against the NAB chief when his own son Dr Arsalan Iftikhar appears as a witness?” asked Bokhari’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa.
Khosa, who is also a former governor of Punjab, argued on behalf of his client before a five-member bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.
Khosa also said there were other reasons to question the impartiality of Justice Chaudhry while trying Bokhari for contempt charges.
The bench, also comprising Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed and Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman adjourned the hearing of the intra-court appeal of Bokhari against his indictment for contempt till April 11.
Khosa argued that the request for the recusal of Justice Chaudhry from the three-member bench was made only after they pleaded that the bench that initiated the proceedings should not hold the trial.
“You mean that if your request for formation of a new bench was accepted you might not have raised the question of bias and partiality?” questioned Justice Nisar.
Meanwhile, the three-member bench headed by the chief justice and comprising of Justice Ameer Muslim Hani and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed deferred the proceedings regarding indictment of Bokhari till April 10.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.