LHC suspends orders to register FIR against CTO, others

Cop tells court that FIR for the incident had already been registered

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Tuesday suspended orders of an additional sessions judge (ASJ) on registering an FIR against the chief traffic officer, deputy superintendent of police, and four officials of traffic police on the complaint of a former station house officer of Westridge police.

Justice Khalid Malik of the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench on Monday suspended orders of ASJ Sajid Chaudhry and issued notices to former Westridge SHO SI Malik Asif.

The notices were issued in response to a petition filed by traffic warden Faiz Ahmed.

In his petition, Ahmed, through advocate Basharatullah Khan, argued that Race Course police had already registered an FIR on his complaint against SI Asif.

The warden stated that SI Asif along with five other policemen had beaten him up outside the office of city traffic police on May 17 when he stopped the SHO from taking his private car into the compound.

The petitioner said that the cops had thrashed him so badly that he suffered a fracture in his right arm. He said that the senior police officers took notice of the incident and ordered an investigation.

The warden added that since the incident took place in jurisdiction of Race Course police, a FIR was duly registered at the respective police station

Ahmed further said that SI Asif was wrong when he stated before the ASJ that he had been obstructed in carrying out his official duties by CTO Shahid Ali Yousaf, DSP Headquarters Taimoor Khan, and four traffic wardens.

Moreover, Ahmed said that SI Asif had himself noted the incident in the daily diary of Westridge police as the incident which took place within the remits of the Race Course police.

Earlier, the ASJ, on SI Asif’s plea that the traffic officials stopped him from carrying out official duties, had directed the Race Course police to register a criminal case.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2017.