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Justice Babar Sattar dismissed appeals from FIA, PEMRA, and PTA, deeming them attempts to disrupt court proceedings, and imposed fines of half a million on each entity.
The country’s media regulator PEMRA, Telecom Authority, and Federal Investigators potentially face contempt of court charges for filing separate petitions with the High Court (IHC) in the audio leaks case.
Read more: IHC Rejects Defamation Against Justice Babar Sattar
These petitions sought the same bench’s involvement as in a prior similar issue and requested Justice Babar Sattar’s withdrawal.
They argued that Bushra Bibi and Najamul Saqib’s petitions should be heard by the same bench that handled a similar matter in 2021 to maintain consistency in judgments and avoid conflicting decisions.
Justice Sattar, overseeing the case, summoned IB Joint Director General Tariq Mehmood for the next hearing. He had been hearing these petitions since 2023.
The government departments’ pleas were grounded on the precedent set by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani three years ago. Hence, they sought Justice Sattar’s withdrawal to prevent conflicting judgments and ensure fairness.
This development comes after six IHC judges, including Justice Sattar, wrote to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) accusing intelligence agencies of meddling in judicial decisions, urging a judicial convention to address the alleged interference undermining judicial independence.
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