Pak apex court upholds conviction in justice Iftikhar manhandling case

Pakistan's Supreme Court today upheld the conviction of seven senior officials, including police officers, in the manhandling case of former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, a verdict that closes one the most unpleasant chapters in the judicial history of the country.

Justice Chaudhry was roughed up, which included dragging him by the hair, on March 13 last year when he was going to the apex court to answer the allegation of misuse of office before the Supreme Judicial Council.

A case was registered against then Islamabad chief commissioner Khalid Pervaiz, deputy commissioner Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, inspector general police Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmed, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zafar Iqbal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jamil Hashmi, inspector Rukhsar Mehdi and assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Mohammad Siraj.

They were convicted by the trial court in the same year and their sentence upheld by the Supreme Court in a decision on November 1, 2007.

However, they had made intra-court appeals and sought pardon.

A five-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa held detailed hearing and contemplated on what grounds contempt case can be pardoned or an apology accepted.

Justice Khosa remarked that dragging a chief justice by the hair was the biggest contempt in the eyes of law.

"What is the criterion to determine the bona fide of contemnor? Whether an apology is enough to end the contempt proceedings against a person who abused courts and his video was shown all over the world," he remarked.

"How the Supreme Court will know if this is a genuine remorse or just an apology to get rid of contempt proceedings. What's the yardstick to know that apology has been submitted with bona fide intent?" the judge asked Khalid Ranjha, counsel for former inspector general of police.

After completing the hearing last month, the bench had reserved the judgment which was announced today.

In its final judgment, the bench dismissed the appeals and reinstated the punishment awarded to the accused.

The former Islamabad chief commissioner and deputy commissioner were sentenced till rising of the court; the former IGP and SSP for 15 days and the former DSP, inspector and ASI for one month.

The final conviction closed one the most unpleasant chapters in the judicial history of Pakistan when a chief justice was openly humiliated by administration.