‘Cases against Sanam Javed driven by malafide motives’

A Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench condemned the police's repeated implications of PTI social media activist Sanam Javed in multiple cases, citing it as an act driven by malafide intentions and ulterior motives, undermining the judicial system.

The detailed order, issued on July 12 by the LHC bench headed by Justice Asjad Javaid Ghural, follows the bench's decision on July 10 to discharge Javed from a specific case, with the promise of a detailed order to come.

The Gujranwala police had originally filed a case against Javed in connection to the May 9 riots.

The court criticised the deputy commissioners of Lahore and Gujranwala for their active roles in issuing detention orders under the MPO while Javed was already in jail.

The judgment read: “Before parting with this order it is observed that act of the Investigating Officer for involving the petitioner in series of cases on the same charge after making her arrest in case FIR No.96/23, registered at PS Sarwar Road, Lahore is colored with malafide intention and ulterior motive and the sole purpose of the same was to defeat the judicial system.”

The bench refrained from taking adverse action against them, hoping they would respect judicial orders in the future.

The bench also cautioned remandgranting courts to consider Supreme Court precedents and the fundamental rights of the accused as enshrined in the Constitution, particularly Articles 4, 9, 10, 10-A, and 13, when dealing with remand requests.

The order included a quote from John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty," emphasising the detrimental effects of a state that suppresses its citizens.

The bench found no incriminating evidence connecting Javed to FIR 823/23, registered on May 10, 2023, for various offenses, including those under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

The court deemed the investigation against Javed as driven by malafide and ulterior motives.

Consequently, Javed
was discharged from the case.

The Deputy Prosecutor General confirmed that Javed was not required in any other case, and she was ordered to be released from jail immediately.