ISLAMABAD: The Sup­reme Court on Tuesday declined to postpone until general elections the hearing of a contempt charge against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Moh­a­m­­mad Tallal Chau­dhry.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed that had taken up the contempt of court case also cautioned the accused, who appeared before the court without his counsel Kamran Murtaza, to consider changing his counsel in case the latter did not turn up again at the next hearing on Thursday.

The observation came when Tallal Chaudhry told the court that his counsel was not well, besides he was also busy in domestic engagements due to a wedding in the family.

Mr Chaudhry is facing contempt charges for his alleged derogatory and contemptuous speeches/statements at public gatherings on Jan 1 and 27 this year against the Supreme Court which were telecast by different television channels.

The PML-N leader had already been indicted for his anti-judiciary rhetoric considered to be contemptuous and intended to bring the judiciary and the judges into hatred.

“Should we adjourn the proceedings until 2025,” Justice Ahmed observed, reminding the accused that every hearing cost the national exchequer.

The court asked Mr Chaudhry to bring the rest of 15 defence witnesses at the next hearing.

The court warned in clear terms that no further adjournment would be granted, adding that it seemed that the counsel for the accused did not want to proceed in the case.

At this, Mr Chaudhry said he had engaged his counsel after putting up so much effort since no senior lawyer of the Supreme Court showed willingness to take up his case.

The court, however, observed that it was in no mood to listen to the speech of the accused.

Mr Chaudhry said he was already passing through very difficult times of his life and, on a query by the court, explained that he was contesting the coming general elections from his constituency.

The court observed that the contempt of court case against the accused was his own making, adding that notices were issued because of his outbursts. The court observed that the present bench had been constituted specially for the contempt of court trial against Mr Chaudhry, adding that two of the members of the bench had come from Karachi to attend the proceedings.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2018