ISLAMABAD - A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed ruled on Tuesday to indict Privatisation Minister Daniyal Aziz next week.

Hearing the contempt case, the bench, which includes Justices Mushir Alam and Mazhar Alam Miankhel, expressed dissatisfaction with Daniyal’s response to the show-cause notice. The court ruled to indict Daniyal on March 13.

Daniyal’s counsel informed the court that media reports of his client’s speech were false.

On Monday, Daniyal had submitted his reply in court, saying that being a parliamentarian he could not even think of disrespecting state institutions. Daniyal, in his reply, stated that he believed in supremacy of the Constitution and respected state institutions, including the judiciary.

“Media ran my comments out of context,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader added. He also pleaded to the court to take back the show-cause notice issued to him in the case.

In Talal Chaudhry contempt of court case, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed a federal law officer to provide CD recordings to him of his anti-judiciary speech, which led to institution of a contempt of court case against him.

The PML-N leader appeared before a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan.

The federal minister’s lawyer asked the court to provide CD recordings of his client’s speech in question.

The bench observed that he had already been given a transcript of the speech and directed the additional attorney general to provide the minister CD recordings.

Talal and Privatisation Minister Daniyal Aziz are facing contempt charges for allegedly making contemptuous and derogatory remarks against the judiciary.

The PML-N leaders had been served show-cause notices to explain as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for indulging in undue criticism on the apex court judges.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nehal Hashmi on Wednesday (today) in relation to a contempt case.

The orders were given as a chief justice-led three-member bench took up Hashmi’s plea against his disqualification as a senator last month on contempt charges.

Hashmi, a PML-N senator, was jailed for a month and disqualified for five years by the apex court on Feb 1 over his contemptuous remarks made last year.

The court also summoned the transcript of Hashmi’s media talk on February 28 after his release from Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that the court had “taken a position on the matter, come what may”.

The chief justice also observed during the hearing that Hashmi’s punishment term could also be extended over his controversial remarks following his release from jail.

Chief Justice Nisar termed regrettable the remarks uttered by Hashmi for judges.