(ii) fair comments about the general working of courts made in good faith in the public
interest and in temperate language;
(iii) fair comments on the merits of a decision of a court made, after the pendency of the
proceeding in a case, in good faith and in temperate language;
(iv) subject to a prohibition of publication under section 9 or under any other law for the time
being in force, the publication of a fair and substantially accurate report of any judicial
proceedings;
(v) the publication of any matter, amounting to a contempt of court by reason of its being
published during the pendency of some judicial proceedings, by a person who had no
reasonable ground for believing that such judicial proceedings were pending at the time of
the publication of the matter;
(vi) the distribution of a publication, containing matter amounting to contempt��of court, by a
person who had no reasonable ground for believing that the publication contained, or was
likely to contain, any such matter;
(vii) a true averment made in good faith and in temperate language for initiation of action or
in the course of disciplinary proceedings against a judge, before the Chief Justice of a
High Court, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Supreme judicial Council, the Federal
Government or a Provincial Government;
(viii) a plea of truth taken up as a defence in terms of clause (vi) in proceedings for contempt
of court arising from an earlier averment unless it is false;
(ix) relevant observations made in judicial capacity, such as, those by a higher court on an
appeal or revision or application for transfer of a case, or by a court in judicial
proceedings against a judge;
(x) remarks made in an administrative capacity by any authority_in the course of official
business, including those in connection with a disciplinary inquiry or in an inspection note
or a character roll or confidential report; and
(xi) a true statement made in good faith respecting the conduct of a judge in a matter not
connected with the performance of his judicial functions.
4. Punishment.—(1) Subject to subsection (2), any person who commits contempt of court shall
be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months simple imprisonment, or with fine
which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees, or with both.
(2) A person accused of having committed contempt of court may, at any stage, submit an
apology and the court, if satisfied that it is bona fide, may discharge him or remit his sentence.
Explanation.—The fact that an accused person genuinely believes that he has not committed
contempt and enters a defence shall not detract from the bona fides of an apology.
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