Former law minister Babar Awan on Monday tendered an unconditional apology with the Supreme Court and requested that his law practicing license be restored which was suspended for ridiculing the judiciary.
The Supreme Court on January 17, 2012, had temporarily suspended his law practicing license under Order V, rule 30 of the Supreme Court Rules, 1980 for ridiculing the judiciary and criticizing the court’s order in memo case.
After the verdict, Awan had criticized the court’s order while reciting some poetic words outside the court at which the court had taken action against him for ridiculing the judiciary and finally had temporarily suspended his license.
“I am a professional lawyer having no other source of livelihood and my fundamental right stands suspended after the court suspended my law practicing license,” Awan pleaded before the court in his application filed through Ali Zafar.
He stated that due to temporary suspension of his license, significant number of litigants who had engaged him as a lawyer over a period of years were suffering irreparable losses, while his staff was also facing hardships.
He further stated that whatever he spoke in the press conference as well as in the press talk was unintentional, based on inadvertence and he was offering his unconditionally apology for his utterances, which was found prima facie to be disrespectful by the apex court. He requested the court to accept his apology and recall its January 17, 2012 order.
Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, Awan called the appointment of ad-hoc judges in the Supreme Court legal. He said although he was not in favor of the idea, the appointment of ad-hoc judges in the apex court was legal under Articles 175-A, 181 and 182.
Babar Awan tenders unconditional apology to SC
