The Supreme Court on Thursday resumed the hearing of the show-cause notice against property tycoon Malik Riaz.
A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Ejaz Afzal and Justice Athar Saeed was hearing the case.
The show-cause notice was issued on June 13 to Riaz for hurling allegations at Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry at his press conference of June 12.
Riaz’s counsel, Advocate Dr Abdul Basit failed to appear in court on Thursday on account of ill health.
During the hearing, the advocate told the court that Basit could not appear in court due to ill health. Upon which, Justice Ejaz said that Dr. Basit had concluded his arguments on Wednesday.
Justice Jan said an order would only be issued after ample opportunity is provided to the parties involved.
Petitioner Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Gujjar requested the court to sentence Riaz under the contempt of court laws.
Gujjar, a former president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, had earlier requested the court to include Riaz’s name in the Exit Control List (ECL). However, Riaz’s name was not added to the ECL as he had been complying with the court’s orders.
During hearing, Gujjar said Riaz was using delaying tactics in the case and that the real estate tycoon had ridiculed the chief justice and the institution of judiciary.
