The Supreme Court on Monday ordered Bol TV to submit Rs100 million to the court within 10 days so that the former can ensure the payment of salaries to the channel's former employees.
"There will be consequences if [the money] is not submitted," Chief Justice Saqib Nisar remarked while issuing the order.
"Shoaib Sheikh might have to go jail again," he warned.
The CJP asked how much the employees' claim of total outstanding dues was, at which the counsel for Axact — which owns Bol — replied that the total claim was for Rs300m.
Justice Nisar then expressed dissatisfaction at the channel's administration failing to resolve their disputes with employees despite the court's orders.
Pleading for leniency, the company's counsel requested that some property be accepted as surety by the court because it would be difficult for the company to submit "such a large amount" in such little time.
Justice Nisar, however, was unwilling to buy the argument.
"How difficult is it for you, really? You only have to sell two degrees," he remarked wryly, before dismissing the case for ten days.
Separately, while hearing a case concerning the Axact fake degree scandal, the court today remarked that bails granted to Axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh should be revoked if he does not cooperate with the Federal Investigation Agency.
The agency's director general had complained that Sheikh was not cooperating with their investigators.
Rs401m to be paid to channels within a week'
Separately, in a case concerning the non-payment of advertisement dues to television channels, the SC was informed by the government that Rs401m would be released within the week.
The CJP had previously asked advertising companies why payments to channels had been delayed, at which their counsel had responded that the federal and provincial governments owe them a total Rs7 billion and they could not make any more payments out of their own pockets.
The federal information secretary today told the court that a summary for payments until the end of February has been sent to the prime minister for approval and will be approved by tomorrow.
The court asked him to ensure that all non-disputed payments are made as soon as possible.
The court also formed a four-member committee headed by Principal Information Officer (PIO) Saleem Baig to resolve the dispute and present its report within 15 days.
