ISLAMABAD. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday rejected the answer of PTI Chief Imran Khan and decided to indict him on September 22, in contempt of court case with regard to his threatening remarks about Additional District and Session Judge Zeba Chaudhry.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked the answer submitted by the PTI chief was unsatisfactory. A very serious offense had been committed but it seemed that he (Imran Khan) didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, the court said. The respect of the judiciary was bigger than the ego of someone, he observed, adding that it was a criminal contempt case.  A five member bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah and comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Baber Sattar heard the contempt of court case against Imran Khan who appeared before the court amid foolproof security arrangements in place. At the outset of hearing, the chief justice remarked that there was a legal procedure if someone was affected by a judge's decision. Addressing Imran's Lawyer, the chief justice said the court had told you last time that District Judiciary was a red line for us. The decisions of the Supreme Court related to contempt of court were a binding on us and we had to bey law, Justice Minallah observed and asked whether you had tried to justify the objectionable remarks in the answer.

Imran Khan's lawyer Hamid Khan said we had tried not to justify but to explain it.  The chief justice said occasion and place of the insulting statement were very important. Whether your answer was as per the directives of the top court, he asked the lawyer. Justice Minallah asked that whether a former prime minister could present the justification of not knowing the law. There was so much division in the society that followers of political parties used to insult opponents in public places, he said, adding that the female judge could also face the situation somewhere.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 09 2022

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