Contempt plea of Parvez`s wife against police disposed of
2023-12-06
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday disposed of a petition by the wife of PTI President Parvez Elahi seeking contempt proceedings against three police officers for their failure to safely escort her husband from the court to home.
Advocate Shan Gull appeared on behalf of DIG Investigation Imran Kishwar and other police officers facing contempt.
The counsel argued that the Punjab police officers on Sept 1 were accompanying Parvez Elahi, however, when they were close to his Gulberg house, they were intercepted by Islamabad police for execution of an order of preventive detention issued by the authority concerned of the capital territory.
He said the Punjab police genuinely and without any malice remained under the impression thatsince the order of preventive detention pertained to the authority of Islamabad, therefore, they were left with no jurisdiction. He said the situation was such that the Punjab police were left with no option to avoid any unwanted incident.
He said the police without any delay informed the registrar of the high court about the incident. He said the police officers submitted unconditional apology placing them at the mercy of the court.
Islamabad Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat argued that only the Islamabad High Court had the jurisdiction regarding any act of Islamabad police, which was essentially taken in pursuance of order issued from the magistrate of Islamabad.
Advocate Amir Saeed Rawn, the counselforthe petitioner, asked the court to decide the matter in accord-ance with law. He acknowledged that the matter was now between the court and the contemnors.
Justice sultan Tanvir Ahmad observed that the explanation of the counsel for the respondent police officers regarding the honest belief of respondents had substance.
The judge remarked that power to convict for contempt was extraordinary and can be exercised with great circumspection, only where it was absolutely necessary. He said the purpose of contempt was not to wreak vengeance.
`The forgiveness and pardon enshrined in Islam, is one of the hallmarks of Islamic system of dispensation of justice,` the judge wrote in his order.
He accepted the unconditional apology of the police officers and disposed of the petition.
