NAB chief defamed SC by writing letter to president: CJP

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Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked on Tuesday that the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had maligned the Supreme Court by writing letter to President Asif Ali Zardari.

A three-member bench resumed the proceedings of a contempt case against NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bukhari on Tuesday. Bukhari’s counsel Navid Rasool Mirza told the court that his client had a professional career and that he “respects the court from the core of his heart”. Mirza said that his client had also taken part in the judges’ restoration movement in 2007 as president of the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association.

Mirza told the court that Bukhari had written the letter to the president in “individual capacity” after the compilation of the annual report. He said that his client had written the letter about an institution, and not against any particular personality.

The CJP asked the lawyer how the copy of the letter was leaked to the media from Bukhari’s personal computer. Mirza replied that the media cell in NAB was the source, which had conveyed the secret documents to the media. Justice Azmat reminded Mirza that he had mentioned in his application that he handed over the letter to the media, saying that the matter could go against him.

The court called the attorney general but it was told that he was not feeling well.

The CJP said that although the NAB chairman had admitted the contents of the letter, however, the court issued him a simple notice as he was not served a show cause notice, and that he was not even bound to attend the court in person.

The CJP said that the Supreme Court was in support of free, fair, impartial and timely elections in the country, and that it was not an obstacle in the way of polls.

4 COMMENTS

  1. All citizens are equal before law. They ought to be. If any judge feels he has been defamed, he should not have special powers to become a judge of his own cause. He should proceed under ordinary defamation laws. Any law which bars any discussion on the conduct of judges must be struck down immediately. In fact, it is desirable that their conduct be closely scrutinised by the public eye. Also, they must not have the power of hiring & firing themselves. This power must be solely vested in the Parliament. Let there be no holy cows.

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