ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing in the suo motu case pertaining to allegation leveled against Dr Arsalan Iftikhar, son of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, DawnNews reported.

A two-judge bench of the of the apex court, comprising Justice Jawwad S. Khwaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, was hearing the case about the bribes allegedly given to the chief justice’s son by property tycoon Malik Riaz.

Through his counsel Zahid Bukhari, the bench advised Riaz to appear before the court tomorrow to submit his written statement. The bench also ordered his son Ali Riaz to be present during court proceedings tomorrow.

Moreover, the court directed the Interior Secretary and the Attorney General to provide the chief justice’s son with security. Arsalan, through his lawyer, had requested the court for security as he had been forced out of his father’s home until the court’s verdict in the case.

The chief justice’s son had written in his submitted statement that whatever statements journalists and TV anchors had given the SC were based on hearsay and the allegations held no legal status.

Earlier during the hearing, Justice Khwaja remarked that no other case was being discussed in the country and that the case of allegations against Arsalan was very significant.

At one point during the proceedings, Arsalan said that a television program aired Sunday discussed his family and that the court should allow him a few minutes to say something on that.

Upon that, the bench reprimanded Arsalan for speaking in spite of the presence of his counsel.

The court also ordered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit a complete record of Bahria Town’s income tax returns by tomorrow. An application by Riaz’s lawyer for two days time was also rejected by the court today.

Zahid Bukhari, Riaz’s counsel, said that his client was due to return to Pakistan from London any time tonight.

The suo motu notice was taken after rumours of the chief justice’s son’s shady business dealings with Riaz had become loud enough to make it to primetime television. After midnight on June 5, the SC had announced the suo motu notice and the first hearing was conducted on Wednesday.