| New contempt of court law not without flaws: CJ |
ISLAMABAD The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard petitions against the recently passed contempt of court law, DawnNews reported.
A five-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and including Justice Shakirullah Jan, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jilani, heard 27 identical petitions challenging the Contempt of Court Act, 2012.
During the hearing, the federation’s counsel, Abdul Shakoor Paracha, said the parliament’s authority over law making could not be challenged.
Paracha argued that the new contempt of court law did not in any manner restricts the powers of the judiciary. He said that the impression that the new law had been passed in order to curtail the freedom of the judiciary was faulty.
In his remarks, Chief Justice Iftikhar said democracy would continue if dictatorship was not supported by those in power.
He added that the way to authoritarianism was paved when institutions exceeded their jurisdictions.
The chief justice said that the government’s claim that the new law was without flaws was incorrect, adding that, all matters of public interest could be taken up in courts.
He also asked as to how proceedings would be initiated against those who used foul language.
Paracha said the law was passed so that another prime minister is not sent packing. Upon which, Chief Justice Iftikhar remarked that this revealed what the federation’s attorney had been thinking all along.
By arrangement with Dawn
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