The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday raised objections over the non-submission of a certified copy of a Supreme Court order during proceedings related to the social media posts case involving convicted lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha.
The hearing was conducted by Justice Muhammad Azam Khan. The court was hearing miscellaneous petitions seeking early fixation of appeals and sentence suspension matters in light of earlier directions issued by the Supreme Court.
During the proceedings, senior lawyer Faisal Siddiqi appeared on behalf of the petitioners. He informed the court that the Supreme Court had directed the IHC to decide the matter within two weeks.
However, the bench observed that a certified copy of the Supreme Court order had not been placed on record. The judge noted that the court could not proceed on the basis of uncertified or informal documents.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan remarked that judicial orders must be submitted through proper legal channels. He said that the court had not received the certified copy required for compliance of the Supreme Court directions.
The counsel stated that the order had been attached with the petitions. He also requested the court to accept a copy during the hearing.
The court, however, refused to accept the document directly in open court. It directed that the order be submitted through the official court office and proper filing procedure.
The bench further questioned why the certified copy was not submitted along with the original petitions. The judge observed that such procedural lapses create delays in judicial proceedings.
The lawyer responded that the certified copy was not available at the time of filing the petitions. He added that the petition was based on the order available on the Supreme Court’s official website.
The court termed the practice improper and instructed the counsel to submit the certified copy through a formal miscellaneous application.
The counsel assured the court that the required document would be filed the same day. After this assurance, the court adjourned further proceedings.
The case relates to conviction and appeals of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. They were sentenced in connection with allegations of controversial social media posts and are currently pursuing appeals and suspension of sentence pleas before the court.
