Over 200 bail pleas filed in Pindi’s courts

Many inmates seek reprieve to celebrate Eid with families

RAWALPINDI: With Eidul Fitr a little over a fortnight away, the district courts in Rawalpindi have received over 200 requests for bails, court officials informed The Express Tribune on Sunday.

Prisoners, incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s jails for petty crimes, have sought a temporary reprieve to see their families on the religious festival, court officials said, adding that they received as many as 210 bail pleas in just the past three days.

The courts, though, expect to receive up to 700 bail-seeking petitions during the current week, they added.



It is a norm that courts across the country receive substantially more bail pleas than usual ahead of festive occasions such as Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha, officials said, adding that this is done so to let inmates spend Eid with their families.

This year, however, the leniency in approval of bail petitions is expected to be higher as many inmates were barred from meeting their families and loved ones over the past two months as precautionary measures were adopted at jails against the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

District jail declines to accept new prisoners

The Punjab government has allowed prisoners to communicate with their family members via letters or over telephones from the jail’s telephone booth, considering the bar on the physical meeting.

Further, the district and sessions, as well as civil judges are expected to visit the Adiala Jail this week to inspect the record of criminals who have been detained for petty crimes.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2020.