SC ends contempt proceedings against PCO judges

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court terminated on Friday the contempt proceedings against 14 judges who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order in 2007.

The-then president General (retd) Parvez Musharraf after imposing the state of emergency and suspending the Constitution on Nov 3, 2007 had issued a PCO under which the judges swore a new oath of allegiance.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heading a four-member larger bench gave the order while hearing the contempt case against the 14 judges who had taken oath under the PCO.

During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that the former Lahore High Court chief justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry had passed away and the entire matter was now around 10 to 11 years old. He explained that the contempt matters are between the court and the respondents and since the judges are no longer serving, the contempt notices against them were being withdrawn.