RAWALPINDI: Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Riffat Sultan Sheikh has fixed February 19 to furnish copies of the case and indict Shoaib Bhutta, a local newspaper owner accused of launching a campaign of advertisements, banners, stickers and wall chalking against the Jang Group.

The accused appeared before the court on Friday following the issuance of arrest warrants and submitted bail documents with surety bonds of Es 50,000.

He had earlier failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons.

The accused is believed to be a close associate of a prominent person of Islamabad and the Jang Group had to make concerted effort for many months to get the case registered at the police station. Action against him had started after the court was approached.

Despite being the owner of a local newspaper, the accused is also drawing a monthly salary of Rs 200,000 and other perks from the state run TV channel. The accused reached the district courts along with dozens of employees of the said channel and a cameraman who raised slogans against the court and the Jang Group administration. They also spoke harshly against the Jang Group administration.

The TV cameraman also tried to record the proceedings and was reprimanded by the court. He was asked not to hurt the sanctity of the court. Ahsan Waheed, an employee of the accused who had furnished wrong information while receiving summons for Bhutta, was not present in the court. He was served with a show-cause notice and asked to appear on the next hearing.

It may be recalled that Jung Group Editorial Management Editor Abdul Aziz Mohmand, through Advocate Amjad Msar Gakhar had filed a criminal petition, saying the accused had been publishing baseless stories and advertisements against the Jang Group.

Wall-chalking was also carried out against the superior judiciary.
Source: The News
Date:2/15/2010