'Thousands languish in jails over robbery allegations in Sindh'

Petitioner seeks release of 'illegally' detained suspects

KARACHI: There are around 50,000 suspects, of which 3,000 are in Karachi, who police claim have committed armed robberies across the province and they are all being kept in prisons illegally, a petitioner said before the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday.

The petitioner, Dr Faaiz Ali Syed, made this disclosure seeking the release of the 'illegally' detained suspects from prisons. He had approached the court, naming the provincial home secretary, the prisons IG, the superintendents of the prisons and all the district and sessions judges as respondents.

He argued that, under the Code of Criminal Procedure, judicial magistrates are required to remand any suspect who faces allegations of committing robbery to jail on the first day that the police present the suspect in court. The magistrate cannot remand any suspect to police custody over robbery allegation.



He explained that similarly, the judicial magistrate concerned is required to conduct identification parade of the suspect in the robbery cases after which the formal trial proceedings are initiated.

However, he alleged that what had become the normal practice in the province was that the suspects in such cases were being remanded to police custody in contravention of the laws.

Syed claimed there were around 50,000 suspects being kept in prisons across the province over allegations of robbery.



He argued this was a blatant violation of the rights of the prisoners as guaranteed in the jail manual as well as the Constitution. Therefore, he pleaded the court to order the provincial home secretary, the IG prisons and others, to submit details of such prisoners incarcerated across the province. It was further requested to order them to strictly implement the laws.

After hearing initial arguments, the bench issued notices to the provincial home secretary, the prisons IG and all the district and sessions judges for April 18. The bench directed them all to submit their written replies by the next date of hearing.