The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a contempt of court petition filed against Justice Saman Rifaat.
The petition, submitted by advocate Kulsoom Khaliq, was declared non-maintainable by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro, who issued a written order yesterday. The court upheld objections raised by the Registrar’s Office and refrained from imposing a heavy fine on the petitioner, showing judicial restraint.
The court clarified that any action against a sitting judge of the superior judiciary must be initiated through the Supreme Judicial Council. Justice Rifaat had only made observations, without issuing any enforceable orders.
The order also noted that the petitioner had included several constitutional office holders as parties in the contempt petition. The court emphasized that constitutional office holders cannot be made parties to such petitions without solid evidence.
“The petition was based on misunderstandings, contained unreliable material, and fell outside the court’s constitutional jurisdiction,” the IHC said. Consequently, the court directed that the case be filed in the court’s office after the petitioner failed to satisfy office objections.
