Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Contempt notice against Gilani challenged in SC


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LAHORE: A petition was filed on Tuesday in the Lahore Registry of the Supreme Court challenging the contempt of court notice issued to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani during the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case hearing.
The petitioner, Barrister Zafarullah, argued that the apex court has violated Article 248 (1), according to which, the prime minister remains immune like the president and a contempt notice cannot be issued to him.
Zafarullah also said that the court cannot force the premier to write a letter to Swiss authorities.
The barrister also asked the court that the notice should be taken back.
Earlier, the bench hearing the NRO implementation case had observed that PM Gilani had failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s order issued on December 16, 2009, for sending a request to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The contempt of court law envisages that, after providing Gilani with a preliminary hearing on January 19, the court may fix a date for framing a charge against him and decide the matter on that very date.