ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced its verdict on a law point whether it could initiate contempt proceedings against the judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), and whether it could issue contempt notices to generals involved in promulgation of November 3, 2007 emergency in the country in defiance of a seven-member apex court bench's restraining order.
The court rejected the plea and issued contempt of court notices to then COAS and President General Pervez Musharraf, the then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, then corps commanders and judges who took oath under the PCO.
The court last week reserved its decision. The top court also rejected the plea on employing the assistance of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and presidents of the provincial bar associations in contempt proceedings against the PCO judges.
A four-member larger bench, comprising Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez, heard contempt of court cases against the superior court judges who had taken oath under the PCO in violation of a seven-member bench's restraining order of Nov 3, 2007.
The judges who face contempt of court proceeding include; Justice (R) Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, Justice Khurshid Anwar Bhinder, Justice Hamid Ali Shah, Justice Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, Justice Hasnat Ahmed Khan, Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi, Justice Yasmin Abbasey, Justice Jehan Zaib Rahim, Justice (R) Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Sayed Zahid Hussain, Justice Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah.
The bench fixed 21st February as the date for hearing. The order said: "Let the cases now be fixed for framing of charge against the aforesaid respondents on 21.02.2011. The respondents, if they so desire, appear on that date to enter their plea on the charge(s) framed. In the alternative they may, if they choose, enter their pleas through counsel who are duly instructed."
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