Anti-judiciary speeches case referred to LHC full bench

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court judge on Monday referred a petition seeking a ban on media coverage of alleged anti-judiciary speeches by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, to the full bench already seized of similar matters.

Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh heard the petition moved by a senior lawyer when a law officer stated that a full bench constituted by the chief justice had already taken up the identical petitions and scheduled to assemble on April 2.

He requested the court to also refer the petition in hand to the same bench so that conflicting decision could be avoided. Justice Sheikh accepted the request and sent the petition to court office for fixation before the full bench.

Last week, Chief Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali had formed the full bench comprising Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Atir Mahmood and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to hear petitions against anti-judiciary speeches by Nawaz Sharif and others.

In the latest petition referred to the full bench by Justice Sheikh, Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree (petitioner) urged the court to put a complete ban on the media coverage of Nawaz Sharif’s activities in view of a previously imposed ban on MQM-London chief Altaf Hussain.

He contended that the anti-judiciary speeches being delivered by the Sharif family and other leaders of the PML-N fell within the ambit of contempt of the court. He said such speeches could not be aired on television channels or published in print media under the law.

The petitioner-lawyer asked the court to order the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to ensure a complete blackout of the anti-judiciary speeches of the respondent politicians in the media.