Court grants bail to eight arrested for violating lockdown orders in Sindh
Meanwhile, at least 39 more are arrested for the offence
Karachi wakes up to life under lockdown. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
A district and sessions court granted on Tuesday bails of eight persons, arrested for violating bans enforced in connection with province-wide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, on personal sureties.
The verdict was announced by West District Judicial Magistrate Asif Ali Abbasi at the Karachi City Court.
During the hearing, the magistrate inquired of police officials, which law permitted them to register criminal cases against the arrested citizens and on what grounds were they booked. He maintained that Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) clearly stated that the police could not arrest any individual without a warrant. Hee added that as per Section 155 of PPC, the police could only forward complaints of such violations to the relevant courts.
The police failed to provide any satisfactory response to the magistrate's questions.
As a result, the court approved the bail of the arrested persons on personal sureties.
Meanwhile, the police claimed on to have arrested at least 39 more people in Karachi and registered another 13 cases for the violating the ban on leaving homes unnecessarily, in the wake of a province-wide lockdown, enforced to curb the spread of coronavirus. The cases have been registered under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
On the first day of the lockdown, at least 119 people were arrested in the metropolis.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2020.
A district and sessions court granted on Tuesday bails of eight persons, arrested for violating bans enforced in connection with province-wide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, on personal sureties.
The verdict was announced by West District Judicial Magistrate Asif Ali Abbasi at the Karachi City Court.
During the hearing, the magistrate inquired of police officials, which law permitted them to register criminal cases against the arrested citizens and on what grounds were they booked. He maintained that Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) clearly stated that the police could not arrest any individual without a warrant. Hee added that as per Section 155 of PPC, the police could only forward complaints of such violations to the relevant courts.
The police failed to provide any satisfactory response to the magistrate's questions.
As a result, the court approved the bail of the arrested persons on personal sureties.
Meanwhile, the police claimed on to have arrested at least 39 more people in Karachi and registered another 13 cases for the violating the ban on leaving homes unnecessarily, in the wake of a province-wide lockdown, enforced to curb the spread of coronavirus. The cases have been registered under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
On the first day of the lockdown, at least 119 people were arrested in the metropolis.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2020.