ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday indicted property tycoon Malik Riaz in the contempt of court case, Geo News reported.
A three-member special bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan conducted the hearing of the case.
Former Bahria Town chief Malik Riaz denied the charges.
Malik Riaz was indicted over his June 12 press conference. The court had issued a show cause notice to Malik Riaz for scandalising and ridiculing the judiciary through his press conference in connection with the Dr Arsalan Iftikhar's case.
During the press conference, Riaz claimed that in some of the meetings he had with the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the incumbent registrar of the Supreme Court and Dr Arsalan were also present.
Counsel of Malik, Advocate Dr Abdul Basit raised reservations on the indictment.
The counsel said his client had filed an intra-court appeal and argued that Contempt of Court Act 2012 was in place the day the intra-court appeal was filed and soon after the filing of the appeal, the show-cause notice and contempt of court hearing was adjourned.
Justice Azmat in his remarks said the court had struck down Contempt of Court Act 2012 and it should be treated as if it never existed.
Malik's counsel requested that the proceedings to be halted until the appeal is heard.
The case has been adjourned till 29 August while the court has issued a notice Malik Riaz after a petition was filed to place him on the Exit Control List.