The Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Friday rejected verbal apology of SSP Investigation Zulfiqar Hameed and directed him to file his written reply till November 24 in contempt of court proceedings against him.
The court initiated contempt of court proceedings against the SSP for not appearing before the court on time in a petition accusing the SSP of transferring investigation of a case against banker Shumaila Sarwar Khanzada.
Petitioner Tipu Salman Makhdoom Advocate, complainant in the case against Ms Khanzada, submitted before the court that the SSP rejected application of the accused for transfer of investigation in front of them but later the investigation was changed against the rules and regulations.
On Friday appearing before the court tried to get the contempt proceedings against him dropped by verbally apologising but the court ordered him to file his written reply. The court also asked him that whether he wanted to plead his case in person or to engage some lawyer?
The SSP replied that he wanted to engage a lawyer to represent him before the court. At this the court granted him time till November 24 to file his written reply.
Petitioner Tipu Salman Makhdoom submitted in the petition that one-year back investigation against accused Shumaila Sarwar Khanzada was completed wherein she was found guilty and her challan was submitted before the trial court in September 2009. He said the accused despite repeated notices of the court did not bother to respond the court and ultimately the court on July 10, 2010 had declared her proclaimed offender.
The petitioner said that he lodged an FIR against Khanzada under section 489-F of Pakistan Penal Code at Women Racecourse Police Station on August 03. In the FIR, the complainant said that he married Saima Sarwar Khanzada, sister of the accused, in 1996.
He said after marriage, Shumaila Sarar Khanzada, her brother Shakil Khanzada, and their mother Shahida Khanzada started taking loan from him, which reached to the tune of Rs 05 million.
He said as he demanded his money back from them, Shumaila Khanzada gave him a cheque of Rs 2,00,000 with malafide intentions, which could not be cashed and instead was dishonoured and he lodged a case against her.