By Asif Mehmood
If memory serves better this time I think there was a law regarding the contempt of the court. I wonder if it is still intact. I wonder if it can be applied on the onslaught of the Panama accused against the judiciary.
Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance states as under:
“Whoever disobeys or disregards any order, direction or process of a court , which he is legally bound to obey; or commits a willful breach of a valid undertaking given to a court; or does anything which is intended to or tends to bring the authority of a court or the administration of law into disrespect or disrepute, or to interfere with or obstruct or interrupt or prejudice the process of law or the due course of any judicial proceedings, or to lower the authority of a court or scandalize a judge in relation to his office, or to disturb the order or decorum of a court is said to commit “contempt of court” the contempt is of three types, namely; the “Civil contempt” “criminal contempt” and “judicial contempt “.
Section 2 © interprets the judicial contempt under: it means the scandalization of a court and includes personalized criticism of a judge while holding of office.
Mian Nawaz Sharif after attending the court proceedings said: “”These courts have double standards. On one had we can all see the way my case is being treated, on the other we see how other people’s cases are treated.”
Further he said:”The Panamagate verdict was given to tell the accountability court to make sure Nawaz Sharif is punished.”
Now if the main accused in Panama case i.e. Mian Nawaz Sharif criticizes the court so ruthlessly I wonder whether or not he has committed the offense of the Contempt of Court. He is directly scandalizing the court. He is committing judicial contempt. Is the gentleman more equal among the equals?
