LAHORE – A Lahore High Court (LHC) full bench on Friday handed downone-month imprisonment to former PML-N MNA Sheikh Waseem Akhtar and threeother local leaders for taking out an anti-judiciary rally in Kasur andgiving statements against judges.
The bench also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 each on the convicts includingformer Kasur Municipal Committee Vice Chairman Ahmad Latif, former KasurBaitul Maal Chairman Nasir Mehmood Khan and former Kasur Market CommitteeChairman Jamil, besides the former MNA.
The bench declaring the accused guilty observed that contemptuousstatements were made against the judiciary.
However, the bench acquitted former MPA Naeem Safdar and former KasurMunicipal Committee Chairman Ayaz Khan.
The full bench, headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, hadreserved the verdict on a petition, filed by Kasur District Bar PresidentMirza Naseem and others, after hearing arguments of the parties on Monday.
On the last hearing, the defence counsel challenged the investigation ofthe prosecution on merit and also tendered unconditional apology before thecourt.
However, the petitioner’s counsel requested for awarding strict punishmentto the accused.
The petitioners had filed the petitions pleading that the protest rallytaken out by the parliamentarians and local government leaders affiliatedwith the PML-N was a planned conspiracy against the institution ofjudiciary.
They said the act of the respondents amounted to contempt of court and theywere all liable to be punished under the law.
They asked the court to also declare the respondents disqualified besidesinitiating contempt proceedings against them.
In April, the police booked about 80 PML-N activists for allegedly stagingan anti-judiciary demonstration in the backdrop of an apex court verdict,announcing lifetime disqualification of former PML-N chief Muhammad NawazSharif.
Police registered a case against the accused under sections 166, 506, 341,228, 109, 147 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code 9.