PCO judges proceedings: Bench, Counsel react to contentions

The continuous hearing of contempt of court issue against a number of dysfunctional and retired judges of superior judiciary, who took oath under the annulled Provisional Constitutional Order of November 3, 2007, on Monday was marked with contentions between the counsel and Supreme Court bench members.
Raja Ibrahim Satti, counsel for former justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, who also served as Chief Justice of Pakistan, apparently dissatisfied with bench's ruling over his client's plea, appealed to the court to defer proceedings on the issue as he wanted to file a review on rejection of his earlier civil miscellaneous appeal.
The four-member bench comprising Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Jawwad S. Khawja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez resumed the hearing of the pending issue. Satti said he wanted to file a review over Monday's ruling and then would proceed to argue the case. He contended that the bench should first decide whether the show cause notices on contempt of court matter were issued under Contempt of Court Act 1976 or the amended law of 2006. The bench asked him that it was up to him to argue. Dr Abdul Basit, another counsel, when asked by the bench said that he would take four days to conclude his arguments.
He said that Satti had raised a valid point, which should be settled first and then he would argue. He questioned why the court was in such a haste, which would amount to giving a wrong impression in public who were watching it. Justice Jawwad S Khawja replied that they were before public and every person had the right to form an opinion.
He said that Satti had the right to file review as they had not stopped him from reviewing and arguing the case. Dr Basit said that with such approach the legal requirements would not be met. Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, who is heading the bench, observed that for the past two months, they had been hearing the case and the counsel were not settling the basic points involved in it. The bench would resume hearing on Tuesday.