LHC issues contempt notice to local media network

A full bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued contempt notices to respondent officials of Geo TV for telecasting a programme "Gumnam" on January 12, 2007 which alleged that court officials were involved in corruption.
The full bench comprising Justice Sayed Zahid Hussain, Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice M. A. Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi and Justice Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah, has ordered that the respondents namely Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman Chairman Geo TV, Mir Ibrahim-ur-Rehman CEO, Nasir Baig Chughtai Managing Director, Sohail Abbasi Producer, Haider Jinnah Presenter, Shafiq Awan Bureau Chief Channel TV-I, Mohsin Irfan of Jinnah Park Sheikhupura and Faisal Manzoor son of Manzoor Hussain Advocate Samanabad Lahore shall appear before the Court on February 16, 2007 in person.
The order of the court adds "The learned Additional Advocate General Punjab Muhammad Hanif Khatana, contends that Messrs Geo TV had fabricated and manipulated the programme in order to malign this court and to bring it in disrepute in the eyes of public and also an attempt has been made to tarnish the image of the institution of judiciary as a whole, which according to him prima facie call for initiation of proceedings against the respondents in respect of contempt of court.
It has further been argued by him that the main focus and thrust in the programme in issue was upon obtaining post arrest bail for an accused person on the basis of false and fabricated evidence pertaining to ailment of the accused person but as a matter of fact the said accused person had never been admitted to bail by this court on the basis of his medical condition nor any such ground had been urged in support of his application for bail. According to him no medical certificate issued by any hospital or doctor had been appended with his application for bail nor any such material was produced before the court at the time of hearing of his application for bail.
It has thus been maintained by him that such fabrication of evidence and basing of the entire programme on the same amounts to a willful attempt on the part of the respondents to scandalise the court and to lower its esteem in the eyes of the public at large. Notice for February 16, 2007, when all the respondents shall appear before this court in person."