Court denies bail to motorway car-hit suspect

Farah Zahra remains in Adiala prison; defence lawyer to challenge verdict

RAWALPINDI:

A District and Sessions court in Rawalpindi Saturday denied the bail plea of Farah Zahra, the accused woman arrested for allegedly running over a police officer at a toll plaza on the motorway a few months ago.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Malik Noor Khan observed that granting bail would set a wrong precedent and encourage similar unlawful acts.

This decision follows an earlier dismissal of the bail application by Civil Judge Dr Mumtaz Hanjra on May 2, which was subsequently challenged by the accused's lawyer, Shah Khawar Advocate. The next step for the bail application is filing it in the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench.

During the court proceedings, three motorway police officers accompanied by their legal team presented the case. The incident was initially reported by Naseerabad police station on January 1, 2024.

The prosecutor pleaded that the accused, Farah Zahra, violated traffic regulations upon being stopped for license verification. She resisted arrest, ultimately injuring a police officer in the process, before fleeing the scene.

The case gained attention after a video of the incident surfaced on social media 112 days later, prompting law enforcement action. On April 24, after 113 days, Farah Zahra was apprehended from her residence. She is currently held in Adiala Central Jail under judicial remand.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2024.