ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) here Tuesday, resuming the hearing of the case pertaining to defamatory remarks against the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) by Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s (PPP) former senator Faisal Raza Abidi, declared anchor Shanzay Rehman a proclaimed offender and ordered the prosecution to present a challan for her arrest in the next hearing.
ATC-II judge Shahrukh Arjumand was hearing the case.
Earlier, the court had rejected a post-arrest bail plea filed over health grounds by Abidi’s counsel in multiple contempt of court and cyber-crime cases.
It is worth mentioning here that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked Abidi under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
According to the first information report (FIR) registered against the former senator, Abidi had used sarcastic, derogatory and defamatory language against the CJP with criminal intent and was prima facie guilty of offences punishable under sections 10(a), 11 and 20 of PECA, read with sections 109 and 509 of the PPC.
Abidi is also facing other FIRs registered at the Secretariat police station under PPC’s sections 228, 500, 505(ii) and 34, along with the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for using threatening language and levelling allegations against government institutions and individuals holding the highest constitutional posts.
The court fixed the next date of hearing on December 12.
