SC releases verdict on Talal Chaudhry’s intra-court appeal

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday released a 14-page verdict on intra-court appeal filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Talal Chaudhry challenging his disqualfication, ARY News reported.

The verdict was released by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and it mentions a Panama Papers decision against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

The court said Talal Chaudhry committed the contempt of court after the SC’s verdict in the Panama case, in which Nawaz Sharif was declared ineligible.

The court order said PML-N leaders launched a campaign targeting judiciary and its judges. It said Chaudhry particularly targeted the judiciary in his speeches after verdict in the Panama Papers case.

Talal Chaudhry attempted to discredit judiciary and influence people’s trust on the judicial system, but he didn’t express regret or tender apology on his statement, the order said.

The detailed court order said the words spoken by Talal Chaudhry were extremely harsh in nature. “Apology is not suffice to quash a contempt case and the apology of Chaudhry is not according to the court norms, hence we turn it down,” the order reads.

“There is no merit of the intra-court appeal filed by Talal Chaudhry, hence it stands disposed of.”

In August last year, a bench of Supreme Court disqualifed Talal Chaudhry as he was found guilty for contempt of court.

The sentence by a three judges bench of the apex court headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed renders Talal Chaudhry disqualified to hold public office for a period of five years. The court also imposed Rs. One Lac fine on the PML-N leader.

Talal Chaudhry, during his speech at a PML-N rally in Jarranwala in January this year, had said: “There was an era when the Kaabah was full of idols. Today, the judiciary, which is the country’s highest institution, is also full of PCO [Provisional Constitution Order] judges.”