Chakwal DPO directed to arrest police inspector in 10 days

“A suspect should be immediately arrested after an FIR has been registered, no matter how influential he is,” CJ Saeed

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Thursday directed Chakwal district police officer to arrest a police inspector suspected in the abduction of a lawyer’s father and brother.

Chief Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed was hearing the case and told the DPO, “A suspect should be immediately arrested after an FIR has been registered, no matter how influential he is.”

Earlier the DPO told the court that the Talagang Inspector Saleem Akhtar had been suspended. The chief justice said, “That is departmental action. You had admitted that there is an FIR registered against him and that he has not gotten bail. If he were an ordinary citizen, you would have arrested him immediately but since he [the inspector] is your colleague you are reluctant to arrest him. The law is the same for all.”

At this point, the DPO asked that he be given three weeks to arrest the inspector. Justice Saeed, however, gave him 10 days. When the DPO assured him that the inspector would be arrested by the next hearing, the chief justice told him that his presence would not be required in case the police arrested the suspect. “But if he is not arrested, you will have to come and explain yourself,” noted the judge.

According to the petitioner’s counsel Inspector Saleem Akhtar had told Advocate Naila Mehak’s father that his daughter had had an accident. He then took Khan Mohammad Najmi and Mohammad Bilal to the police station, tortured and detained them.

Mehak’s family approached the local court for the recovery of the two men. However, the petitioner said, that after they were recovered Inspector Akhtar registered an FIR against them for attempting suicide. Following acquittal by a local court, the family had registered an FIR against the police official on March 2. To date, the inspector had not been arrested, the petitioner said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2012.