Imran had threatened the female judge during a rally in Islamabad on August 20 for which he was going through contempt charges. In the final hearing at the IHC, Khan tendered an apology and confirmed a willingness to apologise to the judge.
When Imran Khan reached the court, the judge wasn’t current in the chambers as she was on leave.
“I’ve come to apologise to judicial magistrate Zeba Chaudhry,” Imran Khan told the court reader. He requested the reader to stay witness for his appearance in her court to offer an apology.
“You must tell Madam Zeba Chaudhry that Imran Khan had visited and wanted to apologise if any of his words hurt her sentiments,” he informed the reader earlier than leaving.
IHC hearing
On September 22, the date mounted for Khan’s indictment, the PTI chairman finally apologised to the IHC.
A bench that is five-member IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Babar Sattar heard the situation.
“I apologise if I crossed any line. It won’t happen again. I never meant to hurt the sentiments of the court,” Khan mentioned whereas assuring the court of never committing “such an act once more.”
He had additionally requested the court to allow him to apologise to Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
At this, IHC Chief Justice Minallah said that the court isn’t framing charges against Khan today and postponed the indictment until October 3.
“The court values your statement given before the court. You understood the gravity of your statement, we appreciate that,” IHC CJ Minallah had said.
The court directed Khan to submit an affidavit regarding his assertion by Sept 29 and said that the case could be proceeded further in the light of it (affidavit).
The case
The PTI chairman had staged a rally in the federal capital on August 20 to express solidarity together with his chief of workers Shahbaz Gill after claims of torture inflicted on him in custody.
He warned the Islamabad inspector-general police and deputy inspector-general police that he would “not spare” them, vowing to file instances towards them for subjecting Gill to alleged inhuman torture.
Turning his guns towards the additional sessions judge, who sent Gill on physical remand on the police’s request, Imran Khan then mentioned she the judge should brace herself for penalties.
The IHC had earlier opted to indict Khan after deeming his earlier response at the most recent hearing on September 8 as “unsatisfactory” since he had not submitted an unequivocal apology.
In his first response to the IHC’s show-cause notice in the case, the PTI chairman did not apologise, offering, nonetheless, to withdraw his remarks “if they have been inappropriate”.
In his second response, which was a 19-page-long document, the PTI chairman seemingly opted to inform the court that it should discharge the discover based on his explanation and follow the Islamic principles of forgiveness.
However, in both responses, the PTI chairman didn’t offer an unconditional apology, which ultimately led to the court taking the decision regardless of amici curiae suggesting that the former prime minister be forgiven.
