IHC registrar, deputy challenge contempt of court proceedings against them

ISLAMABAD   –  Two officials of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) including Registrar Sar­dar Tahir Sabir and Deputy Regis­trar (Security) Awais ul Hassan have challenged the contempt of court proceedings initiated by Justice Babar Sattar against them as they failed to make proper arrangements for lawyers’ entry to the court on May 9 in view of the strike called by the Pakistan Bar Council.

Both Registrar Sabir and Deputy Registrar Hassan filed an intra-court appeal before a division bench of the IHC, seeking quashment of the contempt of court proceedings. In this regard, a single bench of IHC comprising Justice Sattar had issued show cause notices to Registrar Sabir Hassan and the deputy registrar on June 10. The judge took cognizance of this matter on the application of senior lawyer Naeem Bukhari seek­ing restoration of a case related to Gun and Country Club after its dis­missal due to non-appearance of counsel. Bukhari accused incumbent Islamabad High Court Bar Associa­tion (IHCBA) president of “physi­cally restraining” the lawyers from entering the court premises during the May 9 strike. IHCBA president Raisat Ali Azad, however, vehement­ly denied the accusation as the law­yers bodies also questioned the issu­ance of notices to them in a matter in which they were not even the party.

The court order issued in the con­tempt proceeding against Registrar Sabir and Deputy Registrar Hassan termed the replies of both the senior officials of the IHC unsatisfactory. The court order explained that in his reply Hassan stated that he merely acted as liaison between the police officers deputed on the premises of the court and the administration of the court. 

It also stated that Hassan failed to explain as how he formulated an opinion with regard to the CCTV footage on the basis of some report procured by the Moharrar posted at Islamabad High Court (IHC) without himself scrutinizing the CCTV foot­age on the basis of which he submit­ted a report to the Registrar, Islam­abad High Court and subsequently to this court stating that no obstruction was visible in the CCTV footage.

The judge asked him to submit a “comprehensive response” with re­gard to the charge against him. Re­garding Registrar Sabir, the court or­der said that he “filed a response to the show cause notice which is found to be unsatisfactory.” The court order stated, “given that the respondent is approaching the twilight of his ca­reer, this court would allow him an­other opportunity to consider his po­sition and file a considered response to the show cause notice.”