Justice Sattar Dismisses Recusal Pleas, Fines FIA, PTA, Pemra Rs 1.5m Each; Summons Intelligence Bureau Director General
On April 29, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed pleas filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) seeking his recusal from the audio leaks case.
The judge imposed a fine of Rs 500,000 on each of the petitioners for filing frivolous applications. He also hinted at initiating contempt of court proceedings against them. Additionally, the court has summoned the Director General of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to appear on the next hearing date.
The audio leak case stems from petitions filed by former First Lady Bushra Bibi, spouse of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan; and Najamus Saqib, son of former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar. These petitions allege the unauthorized recording and subsequent leakage of their private conversations. The leak of these conversations sparked a national debate on privacy rights and surveillance practices in Pakistan.
On April 27, the PEMRA, the PTA, the FIA, and the IB filed separate petitions in the case. They requested that the matter be placed before a different judge, arguing that Justice Sattar should recuse himself due to a potential conflict of interest.
Justice Sattar rejected these pleas, stating that the two cases were different and that there was no conflict of interest.
Court adjourned the hearing stating that the hearing’s next date will be mentioned in the written order.
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