LAHORE, Feb 13: The Punjab Health Secretary on Wednesday reportedly received the certified copy of the Lahore High Court (LHC) judgment, convicting him and the Lahore SSP to a three-month and 15-day jail term, respectively, in a contempt of court case.

However, officials said, the IG office had so far not received any letter from SSP Aftab Cheema resigning from his office as was reported by a section of the press.

Senior police officials, however, denied that SSP Cheema had resigned from service.

Meanwhile, the officials said the law department had not been asked by the provincial government to file an appeal on behalf of the two convicted officers. They said normally the law department did not contest any “court case” on behalf of any public servant, save in cases where an “officer is convicted of an action he had taken in good faith”. They said the public servants contest their cases in the courts through their departments.

The health officials added health secretary Hasan Waseem Afzal attended his office as usual and consulted his colleagues and the Punjab health minister as to how to proceed in this regard.

An official claimed the secretary had also met Governor Khalid Maqbool. But it could not be confirmed independently.

The officials said the department had consulted top lawyers —- Abid Hasan Minto, S.M. Zafar, Ijaz Batalvi, Sabtain Fazle Ali and Salim Saigol —- on the issue who were likely to represent the two convicted officers and move their appeal against the LHC verdict. — Staff Reporter