LHC sets guidelines for police in remand cases

Judge directs IG, DG ACE and DG FIA to frame proper mechanism

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued a seven-point guideline for the police regarding maintaining their record properly and without any loophole, while obtaining remand of the accused persons from the courts.

Sitting on the Bahawalpur bench of the LHC, Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem issued a number of guiding principles, while hearing a habeas corpus petition in which police showed their negligence in proving arrest of an illegally-detained person.

The LHC judge ordered for sending copies of his order to the inspector general of police, director general of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), and the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for framing a proper mechanism, keeping in view these guidelines.

The guidelines are:

1-As far as the printing format of case diary (Zimini) is concerned, there should be FIR [first information report] number and serial number of case diary, mentioned at the bottom page of case diary (Zimini);

2-There should be register of the case diary duly signed by the SHO [station house officer] at the time of issuance of case diaries papers;

3-There should be case diary register published by police department with serial number and should be allocated to police stations in district;

4-Serial numbers of case diaries should be mentioned on the reverse of FIR along with entry of the same in Roznamcha;

5-The format of remand paper should be in [a] format as mentioned in police rules and same should reflect the serial number of case diary about the arrest of accused by the investigating officer;

6-The interim as well as final report under section 173 CrPC [Criminal Procedure Code] submitted by police should also indicate the serial numbers of papers used for the purpose of case diary by the investigating officer; and,

7-Moreover, copy of record of case diary should be sent to the Mohafiz Office concerned within 24 hours.

The judge said: “Needful shall be done within a period of three months after receipt of certified copy of this court’s order with proper implementation of supra mentioned directions/guidelines under intimation to this Court through Deputy Registrar (Judl.) of this court.”

In the habeas corpus petition, petitioner Nasreen Bibi had sought recovery of her sons, Muhammad Saleem and Ali Raza, from the unlawful custody of the police officials in Bahawalpur. The judge also directed for action against the relevant police officials.