Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will resume hearing on a contempt case filed against former Prime Minister Imran Khan for his remarks against Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
A five-member bench, headed by IHC CJ Justice Athar Minallah, and comprising Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, and Babar Sattar, will hear the case.
Imran Khan, while addressing a rally at F-9 park, in Islamabad, on August 20, had alleged that Judge Zeba Chaudhry knew that incarcerated party leader Shahbaz Gill was tortured, but she did not release him on bail. He threatened to take “action” against the judge and the Islamabad IG and DIG police.
Following the speech, the IHC registrar Farhan Aziz Khawaja put up a note regarding the “threatening remarks” of the PTI leader about the lady judge before the then-acting Chief Justice Aamer Farooq.
After consultation with the other senior judges, the acting CJ then served contempt of court notice on Imran Khan and formed a larger bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar, and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb to hear the contempt case.
During the hearing on September 22, when they had convened to indict the PTI Chairman after finding his initial two responses “unsatisfactory”, Imran Khan offered an “apology”.
“I am ready to apologize to the female judge,” he had told the court.
“The court thinks that I have crossed a line. My intention was not to threaten the female judge. If the court says so, I am ready to personally go to the judge and apologize,” he had added said.
Last week, Imran Khan appeared before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry to apologize for his remarks.
However, Imran Khan was apprised that Judge Zeba was on leave and not present at the time.
At this, Imran Khan told the court reader to inform the lady judge about his visit. “I have come to apologize to judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry,” Imran Khan told the court reader. He also asked the reader to stay witness for his appearance in Chaudhry’s court to offer an apology, as the judge herself was on leave.
