Suspect denied bail in motorway car-hit case

Defence counsel says decision to be challenged in sessions court

RAWALPINDI:

A court in Rawalpindi Thursday denied bail to Farah Zahra, the accused in the motorway car-hit case.

The woman had tried to run over a policeman at a toll plaza on the motorway. Civil Judge Dr Muhammad Mumtaz Hanjra heard the accused’s bail plea.

The court emphasised that all evidence in the FIR points to the accused's involvement in the crime, describing the act of running a car over a uniformed policeman on duty as a serious offence both constitutionally and morally.

Consequently, the bail application was rejected as the accused had no right to immediate bail.

The case was officially registered with the Naseerabad police station on January 1, 2024, following a police officer's complaint. Despite the initial filing, there were no efforts made to apprehend the suspect, leading to the case being temporarily shelved.

However, 112 days after the case was registered, a video of the incident surfaced on social media. Subsequently, on the 113th day, the police arrested the accused from her residence. She was charged with attempted murder for intentionally driving a car over a government official with the intent to cause harm and disrupt government operations. Last week, the court denied the police's request for physical remand and remanded the accused to jail. Her bail petition was also rejected.

Shah Khawar Advocate, representing the accused, stated that they will challenge this decision in the Sessions Court.

Deputy District Prosecutor Asghar Hayat and Assistant District Prosecutor Shahid Zafar strongly opposed granting bail to the accused during the early stages of the case, citing concerns about potential similar crimes being encouraged. Given the intentional nature of the offence, the court deemed the accused ineligible for bail.

Published in The Express Tribune May 3^rd, 2024.