ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad District Bar Association president has moved a contempt petition against PTI chief Imran Khan, accusing the MNA from Rawalpindi of ridiculing and disrespecting Supreme Court judges including former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
IHCBA president Nasir Ahmad Kayani filed the contempt petition under Article 204 of the Constitution.
The petitioner says that Khan accused former CJP Chaudhry of rigging the 2013 general elections when it is a known fact that he had nothing to do with the election as all returning officers were appointed by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The petitioner contended that after the general elections, Khan was summoned in a contempt of court case by an SC bench headed by the former CJP for terming the role of judiciary to be “shameful”, but when he was confronted by the court, he maintained that his remarks were not in reference to the apex court but rather district courts and returning officers. “This speaks... [to] how [Khan] is distorting the facts in ridiculous and malicious manners”
The petitioner expressed apprehension that if Khan is allowed to proceed unchecked in this manner, the respect, honour and prestige of SC’s judges would not be safe from threats and mudslinging. He claimed that Khan’s fresh attempt to bring disrepute to the ex-CJP amounts to ridiculing and maligning the judiciary.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2014.
COMMENTS (9)
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Congratulations,the ex judge/cj has long last come forward to demand 20 bn. IK should consider his demand as the judge is jobless these days and Arsalan too has lately been rendered jobless..
Law prohibits all judges including Ex Chief Justice to appear in court and defend themselves,some lawyer on their behalf will have to do it.
Imran Khan has a habit of badmouthing and maligning everyone including Judiciary,Election Commission,Election Commissioner,Media,Nadra,caretaker govt etc and he misses no opportunity & hurls baseless allegations against all of them as long as he likes with impunity without any fear of consequences.
Its good that some one is finally taking him to court so that once and for all he gets opportunity to prove whatever that he has been alleging in a court of law.
We need to come up we strong defamation law so that bad mouthers like Imran could be taken to task and make other slanderer like him fear for consequences before they hurl baseless allegations against others which they are unable to prove in courts.
@Haq: As far as proofs are concerned, broadly speaking they can be categorized as a) acceptable in a court of law, and b) those not acceptable in a court of law. Moreover, why lawyers are doing this, if ex CJ feels defamation, he himself should respond or go to a court himself, why some lawyer bodies doing this for a controversial CJ?
There is no parallel to defaming and disrespecting the judicial system of Pakistan compared to that of our pious, holy and contradictory retired CJP Chaudhry similarly there is no parallel to hurting, defaming and destroying the entire nation by our holy dictators. Time to learn lesson and call spade a spade right on their faces or their family members faces as they were part of their lust for power and benefitted equally.
@K Alam: Criticism and defamation are two different things. Accusing someone of conducting an illegal act is not a small issue and Khan should prove this. Otherwise he is not different than other politicians who lie all the time and use false statements to gain popularity. I don't see any reason why ex CJ should respond himself to this and not use the courts instead.
why certain people are afraid of criticism, and why ex CJ himself is not responding instead of using SOME LAWYERS or his brother JUDGES?