101-year-old convict seeks release

He was 86 when murder case was registered against him

LAHORE:

An elderly prisoner has sought his premature release under Rule 146 of the Pakistan Prisons Code from the Home Department owing to multiple ailments.

As convict Mehndi Khan, who is 101 years old, received no response from the authorities concerned, he approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking orders to the Home Department for his premature release.

LHC’s Justice Raja Shahid Mehmood Abbasi ordered the Home Department on July 15 to take a decision within three weeks on the application of the elderly prisoner who had sought premature release under Rule 146 of the Pakistan Prisons Code. The petitioner filed the petition in the LHC through Advocate Muhammad Hamza Haider.

The lawyer told the court that the petitioner was in Gujrat District Jail, serving life sentence handed to him in a murder case registered against him in 2006. He said the petitioner was suffering from various ailments.

The lawyer prayed the court that direction be given to the authorities concerned for the premature release of the prisoner.

Meanwhile, a section officer, appearing on behalf of the respondent Home Department additional chief secretary, stated that it is ready to decide about the application sent by jail authorities within a fortnight. On this, the counsel for the petitioner did not press the petition. Mehndi Khan was 86 years old when a murder case of seven people was registered against him.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2020.