ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Supreme Court has annulled a new contempt law that would have provided legal cover for high-ranking officeholders and officials.
The Supreme Court on Friday annulled the new contempt of court law which aimed at providing immunity to the people holding country's top offices, clearing the way for legal action against Pakistan's prime minister.
The court also reinstated the previous contempt statute from 2003 retroactive to July 12, Paktribune said Saturday. The new law, which was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari on that date, exempted top officials from contempt charges related to their official duties.
The 21-page ruling said a portion of the Contempt of Court Act 2012 improperly stripped the court system of the power needed to enforce its rulings. While the courts were not in a position to interfere with the legislative process, it had a duty to interpret laws and the constitution and required leverage to make their decisions stick, the five-judge panel determined.
"If an act of contempt of Court persists and no prompt action is taken, the court loses its authority and all its decisions and the judgments will be considered mere paper decrees," the ruling said.
Friday's ruling added a new twist to the allegations against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who has refused to reopen a corruption case against Zardari.
