SC withdraws contempt notice against additional registrar

Supreme Court on Monday withdrew a contempt notice served on Additional Registrar Nazar Abbas following the controversy regarding fixing the case.A two-member bench consisting of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Abbasi announced the reserved verdict on Thursday last week. It discharged the additional registrar from the case, saying he did not intentionally commit contempt of court.The bench ruled that the Practice and Procedure Committee and the Judges’ Constitutional Committee had disregarded the judicial order. It has referred the matter to the chief justice of Pakistan, asking him to form a full bench on the powers of these committees.The bench further noted that the administrative committee could not withdraw the case, and the Constitutional and Judges’ Committees had violated the court’s order.The Supreme Court had on January 20 issued a show-cause notice and removed Additional Registrar (Judicial) Nazar from his post, declaring him guilty of “serious misconduct.” The court directed the registrar to look into the matter. According to an announcement, the additional registrar (judicial) had inadvertently scheduled a case, which was for the constitutional bench, for hearing before a regular bench, resulting in a waste of time and resources. of the Supreme Court and the parties.In response to the contempt of court notice regarding the rescheduling of the case related to powers of bench, Additional Registrar Nazar Abbas had also submitted his reply. He had requested the withdrawal of the show-cause notice, asserting that he did not defy any judicial orders. He stated that he had submitted a note regarding the matter of forming a bench based on the judicial order to the Practice and Procedure Committee.On Jan 24, the additional registrar challenged the contempt of court notice issued to him following the controversy regarding fixing the case.Later, the apex court formed a six-member bench, headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail. The members of the bench included Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Musarrat Hilali.It may be noted that a six-member bench will take up Nazar’s intra-court appeal on Jan 27 (Monday).