ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday dismissed a petition seeking contempt of court case against Nawaz Sharif.
A three-member bench of the SC, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, heard a plea filed by a ‘habitual petitioner’ Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi asking contempt of court case against the former prime minister.
While hearing the contempt of court petition, the CJP questioned the need to frame charges against Nawaz Sharif, asking whether it was a matter of out-of-turn promotions.
According to a media report, the CJP was quoted as saying, “Mian sahib is no one now, so what actions can be taken [against him]?”
Moreover, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, another member of the bench, argued that the case had become ineffective under present circumstances. The apex court then dismissed the petition.
On March 14, the SC had dismissed a contempt plea against Nawaz Sharif a day after rejecting a similar petition, stating that citizens had the right to comment on judicial verdicts.
Petitioner Sheikh Ahsanuddin, a member of the Justice and Democratic Party, had filed the petition against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader after the SC dismissed a petition seeking initiation of contempt cases against Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The chief justice had remarked that the court did not consider the presented evidence contemptuous. “Commenting cleanly on a [court] decision is the right of every citizen,” CJP Nisar remarked.
