LAHORE - The Lahore High Court will take up on Monday (today) petitions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other leaders of the PML-N for their alleged contemptuous speeches against the judiciary.

A full bench headed by Justice Sayyed Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi and consisting of Justice Atir Mahmood and Justice Shahid Jamil Khan had to take up the petitions on Friday but Justice Shahid Jamil Khan refused hearing the case for personal reasons.

However, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali constituted a new bench for the fourth time. The CJ replaced Justice Khan with Justice Chaudhary Muhammad Masood Jahangir and the new bench would start its proceedings on Monday (today).

Earlier, two full benches were dissolved; first time when a new roster was issued for sitting of the judges at different benches of the Lahore High Court and the second time when Justice Shahid Mubeen recused himself from hearing the case.

Amna Malik, Munir Ahmad and other citizens had moved the petitions against former prime minister Nawz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other leaders of the PML-N over their alleged anti-judiciary speeches. The petitioners also alleged that PEMRA was not fulfilling its obligations and contemptuous remarks against the judges of the superior courts and the judiciary were being broadcast on TV channels.

They said PEMRA had intentionally been allowing broadcast of such material. Such an act of PEMRA was tantamount to contempt of court and deserved strict action, they said.

The petitioners said that PEMRA had failed to act as an independent regulator; it had rather become a subordinate body of the government. They argued that PEMRA officials needed to realize that they were not working on PML-N’s payroll and had to protect citizens of Pakistan and the institutions at any cost.

They prayed to the court to order PEMRA to bar media houses from airing anything against the law and offensive to the state institutions.