ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court directed the chief secretary and secretary Local Governments, Punjab to submit a reply as to why its order was implemented after seven months.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, on Wednesday, heard the contempt petition against the Punjab government to restore the local governments in the province despite the court’s order. Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that there are two questions before the bench.
First, has the Supreme Court judgment on Punjab local governments implemented, and second, why it was implemented after a gap of seven months. Why did the Punjab government take seven months to implement the apex court’s judgment? It is clearly dragging in complying with the court’s order.
The chief secretary, in pursuance of the order, appeared before the bench and tried to explain various reasons for the delay in implementing the order. Upon that the chief justice said we are not going in discussion. He told the chief secretary that he should have submitted a written reply.
“You have blatantly defied the court order. Why not simply frame the contempt charges against you on the basis of the material before the Court and send you to jail from here.” If we do that then your whole career is gone, he added.
The Supreme Court on March 25, 2021 had restored Local Governments in the Punjab and declared Section 3 of the Punjab Local Government Act, 2019 ultra vires of the Constitution.
The Punjab provincial government on 4 May 2019 promulgated Punjab Local Government Act, 2019, and under Section 3 of the Act, the local governments were dissolved across the province.
In April this year, the mayors of Lahore, Rawalpindi and other districts had filed contempt petitions under Article 204 of Constitution.
They complained that the provincial government was not implementing the apex court’s order.
The petitions stated that though the apex court order was communicated to the concerned authorities of the Punjab government, they did not allow the elected representatives to assume their offices.
The petitions further said at some places, the elected LG officer attempted to enter their offices and assume their charge in some districts in order to start functioning; however, they were stopped by deputy commissioners, who are occupying their offices.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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