ISLAMABAD: A three-member Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar will hear separate contempt of court petitions against former premier Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on April 4.
Senior lawyer Naseer Ahmed Kayani has filed a petition against Imran Khan, accusing him of committing contempt of court by using derogatory language against former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Riaz Hanif Rahi has filed two separate contempt of court petitions against the former premier and Chaudhry. Both the applications are based on the provision of a bullet-proof vehicle to the judge-turned-politician.
The Supreme Court also fixed a petition against the 19th Amendment and another for holding a referendum to have a consensus on Kalabagh Dam. The chief justice will hear both the petitions on April 2.
Earlier on March 26, the SC 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.