RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The apex court on Friday restrained Sindh High Court (SHC) from issuing any adverse order against Federal Interior Secretary and others in a contempt of court case, filed by supermodel Ayyan Ali, who was involved in currency smuggling case.

A three-member bench of Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh announced the judgement in response to federation appeal challenging the SHC order regarding removal of supermodel Ayyan Ali name from Exit Control List (ECL).

The court the other day had reserved the judgment in the criminal appeal, under Article 19 (1) (ii) of the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2003 filed by Secretary Interior Arif Ahmed Khan and Aurangzeb Haq, Additional Secretary of ECL against the verdict of the SHC, allowing Ayan Ali’s travel abroad with directions to Interior Ministry to remove her name from the ECL.

The apex court in its order ruled that the instant criminal appeal is already fixed for hearing in the next week adding that in the interest of justice, till the next date of hearing, upon an application under Article 204 of the constitution, qua violation of the order impugned herein no adverse order shall be passed against present appellants.

“This criminal miscellaneous application be heard along with the main criminal appeal on the date which is already fixed in the week commencing from June 27, 2016,” the bench ruled.

In its order the court said that it was informed by the learned counsel for the parties that pursuant to the impugned order of June 2, 2016, the respondents have initiated two separate proceedings before the learned high court of Sindh. The first proceeding is a constitutional petition challenging the subsequent order of June 15, 2016 against pressing the name of the respondent Ayyan Ali in the ECL.

The court ruled that a separate application under Article 204 of the constitution has been filed complaining, inter alia of the violation of the order impugned before it.