Sindh Police Inspector General (IGP) Ghulam Hyder Jamali and two other contemnors on Wednesday moved applications of no confidence against the Sindh High Court (SHC) bench that indicted them for contempt a day earlier, requesting transfer of the case to another bench.
The two-member bench had on Tuesday indicted IGP Jamali, Additional Inspector General Thebo and other senior police officers for contempt of court under Article 204 of the Constitution read with Sections 3 and 5 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003, for besieging the high court.
Jamali and the other contemnors maintained they had no confidence in receiving a fair trial under the bench headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh, comprising Justice Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah.
The applicants informed the bench they had moved applications through SHC Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah for transfer of the case to another bench.
The hearing has been temporarily adjourned and an observed order is yet to be announced.
SP Tahir Noorani, who was absent during yesterday’s hearing, told the bench he did not attend due to his mother’s poor health.
However, the judges were informed on Tuesday that the police officer was on leave and performing Umrah. IGP Jamali chose to keep mum when one of the bench members asked him if he was aware of his officer’s leave.
During the hearing on Wednesday, the bench contemplated issuing a show-cause notice to the IGP for misreporting information. However, the court was requested to take a lenient view in the matter and was told that the IGP did not stand to benefit in any way from doing so. A show-cause notice has not been issued as yet.
Proceedings against the top police brass were initiated by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah –before his elevation as chief justice of the high court – on a petition by former home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza seeking contempt proceedings against the provincial police for besieging the SHC and ATCs on May 19 and 23.
During the May 23 siege of the SHC, uniformed and plain-clothes personnel had used force to arrest a number of associates of Dr Mirza who, along with him, appeared in court to seek confirmation of their pre-arrest bail in several cases. Dr Mirza’s guards and some of his associates, as well as media persons, were manhandled by the plain-clothes personnel at the main gate of the court’s building. Several vehicles parked in the area and media personnel’s cameras were also damaged during the action.
Very rare move that a contemnor ( a culprit) has expressed 'No Confidence' in a High Court Judgement. Could it be customary now ?
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