SC rejects PCO judgesÂ’ plea

[Waqas 48]

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced its verdict on a law point whether it could initiate contempt proceedings against the judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO), and whether it could issue contempt notices to generals involved in promulgation of November 3, 2007 emergency in the country in defiance of a seven-member apex court benchÂ’s restraining order.The court rejected the plea and issued contempt of court notices to former president Pervez Musharraf, ex-prime minister Shoukat Aziz, then corps commanders and judges who took oath under the PCO.The court last week reserved its decision. The top court also reserved its verdict on employing the assistance of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and presidents of the provincial bar associations in contempt proceedings against the PCO judges.A four-member larger bench, comprising Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez, was hearing contempt of court cases against the superior court judges who had taken oath under the PCO in violation of a seven-member benchÂ’s restraining order of Nov 3, 2007.