CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS.
LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) Monday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad on his non-appearance despite issuance of bailable arrest warrants in a contempt proceeding over defiance of an order for production of former chief minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.
The court also issued show-cause notice to the superintendent police concerned for not executing bailable arrest warrants of the IG Islamabad.
Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf passed theorders while hearing a contempt petition filed by Qaisara Elahi, wife of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi. During the proceedings, in response to a court query, a law officer apprised the court that a reply had been received on behalf of the IGP Islamabad but he could not attend the proceedings due to his other engagements. At this, the court took serious exception to IGP Islamabad’s absence despite the issuance of his bailable arrest warrants for ensuring his presence on Monday (September 18). The court observed that its orders were being taken easy and directed a law officer to talk to IG Islamabad to know when he could attend the proceedings. Later, the court adjourned further proceedings till October 2 and issued non-bailable arrest warrants for IGP Islamabad. The court also issued bailable arrest warrants for chief commissioner Islamabad over non-appearance despite clear court orders. Meanwhile, the court summoned the DIG Investigations, DIG Operations and SP Security (LHC) on October 2 for framing charges after rejecting their replies in connection with the arrest of Chaudhry Parvez Elahi for being unsatisfactory. The court directed the officers to appear along with their counsel on the next hearing, besides appointing a law officer as prosecutor. Meanwhile, The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday dismissed a petition filed by former chief minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi against a sessions court’s order that allowed the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab to get his physical remand in a case related to illegal recruitment made in the Punjab Assembly. The single bench comprising Justice Sultan Tanvir Ahmad heard the petition filed by the former chief minister. The petitioner’s counsel argued before the court that the order of the sessions court was liable to be set aside for being illegal and without jurisdiction. He submitted that the judicial magistrate exercised his powers under section 167 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and sent the former chief minister to jail on judicial remand in the case. He submitted that a sessions court suspended the order on a revision appeal filed by the ACE and ordered to produce Parvez Elahi before judicial magistrate for obtaining his physical remand for investigations. He submitted that the order of the magistrate was not a judicial order, thus, the same was not subject to the revision jurisdiction of the sessions court, adding that only a special court had revision jurisdiction. However, Additional Prosecutor General Punjab Abdul Samad and Additional Advocate General Ch.