LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aalia Neelum on Wednesday imposed a fine on a woman petitioner for filing, what she termed, an unnecessary and baseless petition against the Punjab chief minister, chief secretary and speaker of the provincial assembly.
The petitioner, Ashba Kamran, sought contempt of court proceedings against the three Punjab officials alleging wilful defiance of a 2022 Supreme Court order that barred the use of public funds for personal and political publicity.
During the hearing, the chief justice questioned the petitioner, saying, ‘You have come here in a contempt case. Where is the petition on which an order was issued?’ Chief Justice Neelum observed that all relevant aspects should be taken into consideration while filing a petition.
The chief justice imposed a Rs100,000 fine on the petitioner and told her that the court would hear the petition only after the fine was deposited.
The petitioner alleged that public money was being used to promote PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, project the chief minister’s image and name public projects after Kulsoom Nawaz.
She also challenged Section 13 of the Punjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information Act, 2025, claiming it undermined superior court orders.
The petitioner sought contempt notices and other legal action against the three officials, as well as a ban on state-funded publicity featuring personal or political imagery. Staff Reporter