Criminal record of underage drivers sought

LAHORE:

Justice Ali Zia Bajwa of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has instructed the law officer to present a detailed report by March 5 regarding the status of criminal records, particularly concerning requests for the removal of names from the records of underage drivers and those acquitted in other cases.

As the proceedings began, the law officer sought an adjournment, citing the previous focus of the caretaker government on the matter, which has now concluded. However, Justice Bajwa referenced statements from the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) IT, who claimed that names were being excluded from criminal records.

Advocate Rabia Bajwa, representing the petitioners, expressed concern that police officials may not be taking the issue seriously.

In response, Justice Bajwa suggested that petitioners should also submit applications directly to the criminal record office.

The petitioners’ counsels argued that innocent individuals often face false accusations, leading to their names being included in criminal records.

Despite being acquitted, their names remain, causing significant problems, especially for student minors. They urged the court to instruct police authorities to remove their names from the records.

The ongoing issue has resulted in difficulties for individuals seeking opportunities abroad for work or education.

The court awaits the comprehensive report to address these concerns effectively.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday extended judicial remand of Afnan, an underage driver involved in a car accident that resulted in the tragic death of six family members in Defence, for another 13 days.

Read: ‘Curbing underage driving a shared responsibility’

Earlier, the police produced the accused before ATC Judge Arshad Javed and requested to extend his judicial remand. The police submitted that the challan (Charge-Sheet) was in final stage of the preparations and it would be filed soon after removing prosecution's objections.

At this, the court extended the judicial remand of the teenage driver for another 13 days and ordered for producing him on March 11. Defence C police had registered a case against Afnan which revolves around charges of recklessly crashing his high-speed car into another vehicle, resulting in the tragic loss of six lives in DHA Phase 7.

Police investigations indicate that Afnan had harassed the victims, following them for a considerable distance before the fatal collision.

Crash survivor and the driver of the targeted car Hasnain and his father had noticed Afnan's ‘inappropriate behaviour’ and attempted to stop him from misbehaving and following them. The suspect had been tailing the family's car from Y block, harassing them along the way.

Hasnain informed the police that he had admonished Afnan, urging him to cease his misconduct. However, Afnan responded with verbal abuse and threats against the victims.

The impact caused the victims' vehicle to overturn multiple times, eventually coming to rest about 70 feet away from the accident point.

DIG Imran Kishwar suspended Sub Inspector Murtaza and Investigations Officer Umar for negligence in the case.

The investigations, now including sections related to terrorism and murder, were reassigned to DSP Kahna. A video interview featuring Afnan surfaced, providing his perspective on the incident. Afnan, a grade eight student, claimed to have been driving for over a year, having learned from his cousins.

He recounted the night of the incident, stating that his father initially prohibited him from leaving in the car but eventually relented.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2024.