The Contempt of Court in
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
refers to actions involving defiance or lack of respect towards a court of law and its officials, demonstrated through behaviors that challenge or undermine the court's authority, fairness, and decorum. ''The Contempt of Court Act of 2012'' is the legislation that governs how courts in Pakistan can utilize their authority to address instances of contempt of court.
Notable Contempt of Court cases
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Yusuf Raza Gilani
Yusuf Raza Gilani (born 9 June 1952) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Pakistan from 2008 to 2012. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan since 2024. Chairman Gilani served as the acti ...
: In 2012, the
Supreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...
found former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in
contempt of court
Contempt of court, often referred to simply as "contempt", is the crime of being disobedient to or disrespectful toward a court of law and its officers in the form of behavior that opposes or defies the authority, justice, and dignity of the co ...
due to his refusal to reopen corruption cases against the president. As a symbolic punishment, he was subjected to a brief detention within the courtroom.
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Talal Chaudhry: In 2018, Talal Chaudhry, a leader of
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...
, was convicted of contempt of court by the Supreme Court. His conviction resulted in a prison sentence until the court's adjournment and a monetary fine under ''Article 204''. Following his conviction, Chaudhry became ineligible to participate in elections for the subsequent five years and hold any public office.
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Imran Khan
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...
: In 2022, a court acknowledged an apology offered by the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, leading to the dismissal of a contempt of court lawsuit against him. The allegations directed at Khan stemmed from a speech in which he was accused of making threats toward police and judicial officials.
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Sardar Tanveer Ilyas: In 2023, the High Court of Pakistan in
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
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disqualified former Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas from the legislative assembly membership on the grounds of contempt of court. This decision was reached by a full bench of the region's High Court.
Punishment
The consequences for contempt of court in Pakistan encompass various penalties, such as incarceration, monetary fines, ineligibility for public office or electoral participation, and dismissal from other positions. As outlined in the Contempt of Court Act of 2012, individuals found guilty of contempt of court can face a sentence of up to six months of simple imprisonment, a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand rupees or both. In cases where an appeal for clemency is declined, these sanctions may be enforced.
See also
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Contempt of Parliament (Pakistan)
References
{{reflist
Law of Pakistan
2012 in Pakistani law
Legal history of Pakistan