IHC bars issuing verbal orders for arrest

Chief Justice Minallah notes practice against judicial traditions

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restrained the lower courts to issue verbal orders for arresting anyone even from the court room.

On the direction of IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, the inspection team member has issued instructions to the District and Sessions Judges of Islamabad East and West on Wednesday.

The directive stated that no one should be arrested from the courtroom on verbal orders as the arrests on verbal orders are against established judicial traditions.

Therefore, the instructions should be strictly followed.

The matter was brought to the notice of the IHC chief justice by IHC Journalists Association when Islamabad Civil Judge Waqaruddin Gondal had verbally ordered to arrest a court reporter from the courtroom.

A trial court of Islamabad sentenced a suspect to death and another to life imprisonment in the murder case of an SSG Commando Major Laraib Gill in Sector G-9 last year.

Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich pronounced the sentence to the offender in the murder case of Major Larib who was shot dead during a robbery in November 2019.

A case was registered in G-9 Police station on the application of Advocate Moazzam Habib, brother of the deceased, who also pursued the case.

In the light of the arguments of the parties and the evidence presented, the court sentenced Baitullah to death with a fine of Rs600,000 while his accomplice Gul Naseeb was awarded life imprisonment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2020.