LAHORE, Pakistan, May 10 (UPI) -- Pakistan Supreme Court has warned the media against interfering with the case of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
The court said any violation would be treated as contempt of court, the CNN reported. In its order, the court said special passes would be issued to reporters and lawyers to attend the hearing on Chaudhry's petition for reinstatement.
Citing a recent TV broadcast, the court said the order was issued as such programming tends to make "the honorable judges of the Supreme Court and members of the Supreme Judicial Council controversial" in the media. But the TV host said he never intended to scandalize or malign anybody.
The CNN report said journalists' organizations have protested the court ban.
Chaudhry was suspended March 9 by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for allegedly misusing his powers. The suspension has sparked widespread nationwide protests and created a political crisis for Musharraf with some legal experts questioning the president's constitutional authority to suspend the judge.