Sharjeel's request turned down: seeking more time to answer contempt charge

The Supreme Court on Monday out-rightly turned down Pakistan People's party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Inam Memon's request, seeking more time to answer a contempt charge he is facing for ridiculing a court ruling and instigating people against it.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry with Justice Mohammad Sair Ali and Justice Ghulam Rabbani took up the contempt proceedings against Sindh PPP general secretary Taj Haider and newly appointed information minister Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon.
Memon, a PPP stalwart, who was bestowed with the lucrative ministerial slot in Sindh following a contempt notice issued to him, for ridiculing a court ruling and instigating people against it by giving a protest call in the province, which claimed seven innocent lives.
PPP leader Taj Haider presented his written reply to the court while Memon pleaded that he was busy in budget preparations and his lawyer was out of the country, thus he should be granted one-month time to submit his reply. Justice Chaudhry told Memon that he was elevated to the ministerial slot after wrangling with the apex court and now in a better position compared to the past to hire another lawyer to plead his case.
They were issued contempt notices under Article 204 of the Constitution and Section 3 of the Contempt of the Court Ordinance, 2003, after the court took notice of the March 11 violence-ridden strike in Sindh. Memon is also required to explain why he should not be disqualified as a member of the provincial assembly for his alleged utterances against the judiciary, under Article 63(1g) relating to disqualification for being convicted by a court or defaming or ridiculing the judiciary.
Reacting to a Supreme Court verdict against the appointment of Justice (Retd) Syed Deedar Hussain Shah as chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the party's Sindh chapter had called for a protest strike that halted business activities in Karachi and other parts of the province.
The duo had earlier appeared before the apex court along with over 60 members of PPP Sindh Assembly including Zulfiqar Mirza, Nisar Khuhro, Pir Mazharul Huque, Shazia Marri, Ayaz Soomro, as show of solidarity with their colleagues, reportedly to march towards prison voluntarily hand-in-hand in case the two leaders were convicted.
Renowned lawyers Abdul Hafeez Pirzda, who was also assisting the court in the case, had apprised the bench that he had been directed by Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Minister Sindh to remain neutral and assist the court in reaching the right conclusion. The hearing was adjourned until May 27.