Court extends Fawad’s physical remand

Prosecutor says police have yet to conduct photogrammetry tests, recoveries

ISLAMABAD:

A district and sessions court on Saturday granted the police a further two-day physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry, reversing the earlier decision of a judicial magistrate, who had rejected the police plea and sent him on judicial remand to Adiala Jail.

Judge Tahir Mehmood Khan heard the police plea challenging Judicial Magistrate Waqiz Ahmad Raja’s decision.

The court allowed the appeal of the police, ordering Fawad to be produced again before the magistrate for physical remand. Fawad was presented before the magistrate.

In the case of threats to Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and the Election Commission of Pakistan members, Judicial Magistrate Raja reserved the verdict at 6pm, and later announced it, granting the police two-day physical remand of Fawad and ordering them to produce the PTI leader again in the court on Monday (Jan 30).

The prosecutor said, “The police have to conduct photogrammetry tests and recoveries as they only had a one-day remand and could not complete the investigation.”

The district and sessions court annulled the judicial magistrate’s decision of not granting the physical remand of Fawad.

The session judge said that the decision of the magistrate was “not legally correct”.

During his appearance before the court, Fawad said, “If freedom of expression is not my right, it means there is no democracy in the country. I stand by my statement. Powerful people around the world believe that criticising them is treason. On the one hand, there is a notice of contempt of court, then an FIR of treason. If you can't take criticism, don't take the position.”

Fawad was arrested from Lahore on Wednesday for allegedly “inciting violence” against the ECP members and the CEC. An FIR was registered against the PTI leader at the Kohsar police station in Islamabad. An Islamabad court then handed Fawad over to the police on a two-day physical remand.

As the remand ended on Friday, Fawad was produced before Judicial Magistrate Raja amid tight security. He was brought to the court with a black cloth covering his head.