ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court heard the Malik Riaz contempt of court case today. Dr Basit, the lawyer of the property tycoon could not appear due to ill health, Geo News reported.
A three-member bench comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Ejaz Afzal and Justice Muahmmad Athar Saeed is seized with the case.
The bench rejected Malik Riaz's plea to adjourn the hearing for 10 days after getting no assurance of his lawyer's presence tomorrow.
Petitioner Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Gujjar began his arguments. He noted difference in Riaz's press conference and the apology filed yesterday.
'In his presser, Bahria Town owner mentioned meetings with the chief justice in the dead of the night but the apology claimed that these were for the restoration of the judiciary.'
The judges observed that Dr Basit had completed his arguments on Wednesday and was reluctant to appear today.
On Wednesday, Malik Riaz submitted an unconditional apology by saying that he held all judges in the highest esteem particularly Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
In his reply Malik Riaz submitted that he had lost self-control after getting a feeling that he was denied the opportunity to explain his position in the court in Arsalan's case.
He said that he addressed the press conference to prevent the ruin of Bahria Town, which had been brought to the brink of disaster.