Khyber News

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court after concluding the hearing of petitions challenging the new contempt law reserved its verdict only to announce it at 3pm today, Khyber News reported on Friday. 

A five member judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary and including Justice Shakirullah Jan, Justice Khilji Arif Husain, Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Tassadduq Husain Jilani heard the 27 identical petitions challenging the Contempt of Court Act, 2012.

During the hearing, Attorney General Pakistan (AGP) Irfan Qadir, presented his arguments before the bench.

The AGP contested that the new law was at the disposal of the Supreme Court and the high court, adding that no clause of the constitution was amended through the new law. 

The Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary addressing the AGP remarked that under the new law anyone exercising judicial powers could use the law. 

During his remarks, Justice Arif Khilji addressing the AGP said that you once said that every comma and period in the document was meant for something. Justice Khilji remarked that in the new contempt law was devoid of words like scandalize, contempt, and ridicule. Upon this the AGP replied, that some words were interchangeable while others implied the intended meaning. The AGP said the new law provided immunity to the governor and the president, adding that a legal misunderstanding led to the disqualification of the erstwhile prime minister. The AGP said that the apex court should act with patience and work hand in hand with the administration. 

CJP upon hearing this said that the courts would not come to terms or work hand in hand with the administration. The CJP said that in pursuance of Article 248 of the constitution no one was given immunity from contempt of court proceedings, whereas in stark contrast the new contempt law does not suggests penalty for the transgressing court verdict. 

Chief Justice Iftikhar said that a law could not broaden a concept addressed in the Constitution, adding that, the new law even included magistrates in the definition of a judge.

The attorney general said he had worked with a number of judges and that he had been told that a judge was a judge, even if it he/she was a magistrate.

In his remarks, Justice Khawaja inquired as to why the former prime minister did not file an appeal against his conviction.

Upon which, the attorney general said that Yousuf Raza Gilani made the right decision by not filing the appeal. 

The court reserved its verdict and would announce its decision at around 3:30pm today.