Saroop Ijaz -- unedited version
Contempt of the People The Supreme Court issued the contempt of court notice to Mr. Imran Khan contending that Mr. Khan has initiated a campaign to deliberately “scandalize” the judiciary. Looking at the record of the recent years, to the cynic it might seem that the court is rather easily “scandalized”. The suggestively named offense of scandalizing the court is a common law offense, which is now becoming extinct in most countries. In 1899, a U.K. court in the case of Mcleod vs. St. Aubyn , observed, "Committals for contempt of court by scandalizing the court itself have become obsolete in this country.... But it must be considered that in small colonies, consisting principally of colored populations, the enforcement in proper cases of committal for contempt of court for attacks on the court may be absolutely necessary to preserve in such a community the dignity of and respect for the court." So, while not good enough for the “civilized” world, it...