The Supreme Court has adjourned hearing of Geo TV petition against suspension of its transmission till next Monday. The court had issued notices to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Federation of Pakistan and Attorney General in this case for Tuesday.
Deputy Attorney General Nahida Mahboob Elahi appeared before the court and submitted that the respondents had not received copies of the petitions as yet. She said Attorney General Malik Muhammad was abroad therefore the government needed some time to submit its para-wise comments on the petitions. The Geo TV and others had filed appeals in the Supreme Court against the 4th December judgement of the Sindh High Court.
A division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Muneeb Ahmed Khan and Justice Dr Rana Muhammad Shamim had dismissed these petitions against closure of Geo News, Geo Entertainment, Geo Super as non-maintainable in view of the suspension of fundamental rights in the country. It may be recalled that after imposition of emergency the government had stopped transmission of some private television channels in the country on 3rd November 2007.
However after getting assurance from the private TV channels to implement the amended Pemra ordinance the government allowed private TV channels except the Geo networks to resume their transmission.
In its petition, Geo television had contended that they had signed the Momerandum of understanding (MoU) and the code of conduct of the amended Pemra Ordinance yet the government was delaying re-opening of its two channels.
The three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Muhammad Moosa K Laghari and Justice Mian Hamid Farooq adjourned the hearing till 7th January.