Contempt of court: IHC issues show-cause notice to Imran

ISLAMABAD: A larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and summoned him in person on August 31, in a contempt of court case pertaining to his threatening remarks about Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.

The bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar also summoned Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) for assistance and sent the case file to Acting Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, recommending addition of more judges to the bench.

During the course of proceedings, Advocate General, Islamabad, Barrister Jahangir Jadoon, informed the court that he had filed a miscellaneous application to bring the relevant material on record.

He also wanted to submit the record of previous anti-judiciary speeches and statements of Imran Khan, including video clips, he added. He sought the court’s permission to bring Imran’s statements about the judiciary and other institutions on electronic and digital media on record, and also play the same in the courtroom through a USB or other digital resources.

Barrister Jadoon said Imran Khan had given a threatening statement about the woman judge during his speech at a rally in F-9 Park, Islamabad, on August 20. Jadoon stated the female judge was hearing a case regarding the remand of the PTI chief’s aide Shahbaz Gill, adding Imran had been repeatedly making such remarks against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the judiciary.

He (Imran) was creating hurdles in way of justice, he added. Justice Kayani remarked how someone could comment on a sub judice matter, as even the courts could not interfere in the investigation process. Threatening a woman judge was an unfortunate act, he said, adding the whole judicial system could not function if such an attitude against the judges working across the country was adopted.

Justice Kayani remarked that anyone would deliver speeches against courts if an order was passed against them. Whether they wanted the people to pass judgments on their own, he asked.

The court said it was not expecting such statements from a former prime minister. Even at the moment when the court was hearing the case, it was being defamed, it added. The court said it was ready to provide extra security to the woman judge concerned. Barrister Jadoon said it was necessary to provide security to the female judge after the PTI chief’s threatening remarks.

When the court asked should it first hear Imran or serve him a show-cause notice directly, the advocate general said in the given situation, a direct show-cause notice should be issued. Justice Kayani observed it was a serious matter and it was not limited to the lower courts of Islamabad, even the civil bureaucracy and police high-ups were being threatened.

He further observed that certain people had taken grip of the whole system, and would start hurling threats if they lost their government. The court then served a show-cause notice to Imran Khan and summoned him on August 31, and also sought the transcript of his speech.

The IHC judges, after consultation on Monday, decided to initiate the contempt of court proceedings against Imran Khan on his objectionable remarks about the woman judge. Imran Khan in his speech had threatened that cases would be prepared against the Inspector General of Police and Deputy Inspector General Islamabad for allegedly torturing Shahbaz Gill. He also named Judicial Magistrate Zeba Chaudhry and said action would also be taken against her.