Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Memon found himself in hot waters again on Wednesday, as he appeared before the Islamabad High Court seeking an unconditional apology for his non-appearance at the previous hearing.
However, the court rejected his apology and ordered him to submit a reply to a second show-cause notice by Monday. Additionally, the court barred him from travelling abroad until further notice.
The contempt of court case against the DC and SSP (operations) has been marked by tense exchanges between the judiciary and legal representatives. Justice Babar Sattar, presiding over the proceedings, expressed frustration at the delays caused by Memon's legal team and admonished him for his actions.
SSP (Operations) Jameel Zafar sought an unconditional apology from the court. "The judgment of the case will be pronounced next week," remarked Justice Sattar.
To the judge's query about whether he was unaware of the court order, Memon defended himself, stating that he was unaware and reiterated his commitment to complying with judicial directives. "I cannot even think of disobeying the court order," he insisted. However, Justice Sattar admonished Memon for what he perceived as a serious oversight, highlighting the impact of his actions on the progress of the case.
"This case was supposed to be completed yesterday, but could not be because of you," Justice Sattar remarked.
Justice Sattar admonished the DC for issuing 69 MPO orders, questioning if the people against whom the orders had been issued did not have parents or they did not have to go for Umrah. “You made a mistake last year, and I thought you had understood,” he remarked, asking if this was all a joke.
“This case is getting delayed because of your lawyer. It was a very stupid action of yours, and you will suffer the consequences,” Justice Sattar warned.
The courtroom drama escalated as Memon's lawyer Rizwan Abbasi sought to transfer the case to another bench, a request promptly denied by Justice Sattar. "We need not dramatize it," he said.
The proceedings also delved into the circumstances of the issuance of multiple Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) orders, with the DC's lawyer arguing that a second MPO order had been issued by the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner. "If there should be a contempt of court case, it should be against him and not the Islamabad DC." Abbas argued.
He then requested the court to dismiss the contempt of court case.
