Thus Wrote Babar Sattar 02: "The conduct of the court in this [Gillani’s contempt case] matter and the text of the charge sheet suggests that the apex court was conscious of the need to act as a neutral arbiter of the law, and that it viewed contempt proceedings not as a sword to settle scores or satiate personal egos but as a shield to protect the sanctity of the law. At the end of the proceedings there might be a conviction but no martyrs. Isn’t a society stumbling perilously close to the precipice if court verdicts and punishments under law become devoid of the social and moral sanction that ought to accompany them and encourage people to abide by the law? How do you uphold rule of law in a socio-political culture where power is measured by its ability to trump law and in the odd case that someone powerful is found guilty, he responds by making a victory sign?"
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:03:36 +0000