ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered Federal Directorate Education (FDE) Director-General Dr Shahnaz Riaz to submit a written apology to the court in a contempt case.
The FDE head was briefly arrested from the courtroom on August 25 and is now facing contempt proceedings for her “contemptuous attitude” and using “inappropriate language” in the courtroom.
Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi directed Riaz to confess and subsequently submit a written apology before the court, adding that the court would then decide whether to proceed further or accept the admission of guilt. The directions came in response to the report of the advocate general of the IHC who was earlier directed to verify Riaz’s claim that she could not come to the court on when asked to on August 24 as she was busy in a parliamentary body meeting.
In his report, the advocate general said that Riaz did attend the meeting of a standing committee but she had been informed about the hearing beforehand. Indicating that she deliberately missed the hearing, he said proceeding of a contempt of court case can be initiated against her.
Raja Aleem Abbasi, counsel for Riaz, said she was ready to offer an unconditional apology to the court. Justice Qureshi directed the counsel to submit a written apology and only then the court would decide whether to accept it or proceed further.
On Aug 24, Justice Qureshi had issued bailable arrest warrants for Riaz after she failed to appear in the court in connection with a plea filed by Taj Traders and others seeking court intervention in payment of their dues.
Later, Riaz had submitted a cheque before the court clearing three-year-old dues of Taj Traders but landed herself in hot waters after she allegedly passed derogatory remarks while being escorted to a police control room after she was ordered to be arrested from the courtroom.
The court had called her back and sought an explanation but she had immediately denied passing any remarks.
On a previous hearing, “to check her mental capacity”, the court had asked if she had ever appeared before any court. Riaz said she had never appeared before any court, perhaps forgetting that she was granted a stay in a matter by the same court and later rejoined the FDE as its director-general after the Supreme Court had ruled in her favour.
Moreover, the Supreme Court had rejected a request by the FDE chief to cancel her transfer orders and fined her Rs10,000 for filing a frivolous case in April 2014.
The court will take up the case again on September 29.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2015.
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