The Additional Registrar (Judicial) of the Supreme Court, Nazar Abbas, has challenged the contempt of court notice issued against him following the controversy surrounding the fixing of a case.
The Supreme Court has formed a six-member bench, led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, to hear Abbas’ plea on January 27. The other members of the bench include Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Athar Minallah, Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, and Musarrat Hilali.
The controversy arose when Nazar Abbas, who was removed from his post as Additional Registrar (Judicial), was found to have scheduled a constitutional bench case for hearing before a regular bench, which was deemed a procedural error. As a result, the Supreme Court issued a contempt of court notice and removed him from his position, placing him as an officer on special duty (OSD).
According to a notification issued by the Additional Registrar (Administration), Abbas’ action wasted the court’s time and resources, leading to the decision to examine the matter further. The registrar of the Supreme Court has been tasked with reviewing the situation.
The contempt of court case was heard by a two-member bench, comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Abbasi, who reserved their verdict after hearing multiple arguments.
In his response to the show-cause notice, Nazar Abbas requested its withdrawal, arguing that he did not defy any judicial orders. He clarified that he had submitted a note about forming the bench to the Practice and Procedure Committee, as per judicial instructions. Advocate Hamid Khan assisted the bench during the hearing, presenting arguments on Abbas’ behalf.
