Wrong statement in court: SC seeks record of LHC proceedings against SP

LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) Thursday summoned record of the proceedings pending before the Lahore High Court (LHC) against SP Operations Sadar Sardar Hafeezur Rehman Bugti for giving a wrong statement in a matter relating to police occupation of a citizen’s property.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah was hearing a petition of Bugti at the Lahore registry. The police officer challenged the show-cause notice issued by LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan.

A counsel for the officer told the bench that the petitioner did not make any wrong statement before the LHC. He said the LHC had been misled through wrong facts against the police officer. He asked the bench to set aside the proceedings against the SP before the LHC.

The bench adjourned further hearing till Friday (today) and summoned record of the case from the high court.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Khan adjourned the hearing against the SP to wait for a decision by the SC.

The SP’s counsel requested the chief justice to accept the unconditional apology of his client.

However, Justice Khan said that now the SP could get a pardon from the SC. “I have no personal grudge against anyone. The SP told a lie before the court, which I cannot tolerate,” the chief justice added.

He said the hearing would resume on Friday (today) after a decision by the SC.

A citizen had filed a petition against illegal occupation of his property by the Township police. The petitioner told the court that the police officials visited his home and threatened him.

The SP had claimed that an opinion from the DIG legal had been sought before the police’s visit to the petitioner residence.

However, the DIG told the court that the matter was not related to his office and he had no meeting with the SP.

Previously, Bugti repeatedly tendered unconditional apologies before the court, but the chief justice turned those down.