LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has disposed of a five-year-old contempt of court petition filed against former Inspector General of Police Punjab Rao Sardar Ali, on the ground that the court’s order has since been implemented.
Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Aalia Neelum heard the contempt petition filed by a citizen, Syed Ali Raza. During the hearing, Assistant Advocate General Punjab Waqas Umar appeared on behalf of the Punjab government and submitted a report from the police.
The state counsel informed the court that the petitioner had sought a change in the investigation of his case, and that the investigation had been transferred in accordance with his request.
Assistant Advocate General Waqas Umar told the court that the challan in the relevant case had also been submitted to the court, while the trial in the case remains pending. The state counsel assured the court that the order of the court had been complied with.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum examined the report submitted by the police and expressed satisfaction with it. The court held that the order of the court had been implemented, after which the Lahore High Court disposed of the contempt petition filed against former IG Punjab Rao Sardar Ali.
Contempt jurisdiction is exercised by the superior courts to secure compliance with their own orders. In practice, a substantial proportion of contempt petitions filed against public officials in Punjab concern the non-implementation of directions relating to the registration of cases, the transfer of investigations or the provision of police protection.
Such petitions are ordinarily disposed of once compliance is demonstrated, rather than proceeding to a finding of contempt. The purpose of the jurisdiction is remedial as much as punitive, and courts have consistently held that where the underlying direction has been carried out, the proceedings lose their basis.
The disposal closes a matter that had remained on the court’s file for five years, a period that reflects the pendency pressures on the Lahore High Court’s principal seat. Contempt petitions are frequently overtaken by developments in the underlying case, as appears to have happened here with the transfer of the investigation and the subsequent filing of the challan.
Rao Sardar Ali served as Inspector General of Police Punjab and was named in the petition in his official capacity. The trial in the underlying criminal case continues before the trial court.
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