LHC forms full bench on 'rape fake news'

Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelam on Friday constituted a three-judge full bench to address the issue of fake news regarding the alleged rape of a female student at a private college in Lahore.

The bench, led by the Chief Justice and including Justice Farooq Haider and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, will hear the matter on October 22, according to the court's written order following a hearing. The order stated that the full bench was constituted in view of the sensitivity of the matter.

Inspector General (IG) of Police Punjab Dr Usman Anwar said that a composite inquiry team had been constituted. This specialised team had explored various social media platforms to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for orchestrating the smear campaign.

He further stated that at the request of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had blocked 38 social media accounts – 12 Facebook, 19 X, 12 Instagram, and 6 TikTok.

"As the issue at hand is sensitive, touches on the social issue of spreading fake news, and relates to female students of colleges and universities, it must be handled with care and caution," the court order stated. "The safety of female students is the prime consideration of this Court," it added.

"Given the above circumstances and considering the matter's sensitivity, the full bench comprising this Court, along with their lordships Mr. Justice Farooq Haider and Mr. Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, is hereby constituted. The office is directed to fix the instant case before the aforesaid full Bench on 22.10.2024."

The court directed the investigating agencies to complete their investigation using modern techniques without harassing anyone. The FIA director general was also directed to appear and submit a report after probing all social media accounts relating to incidents of Punjab Group of Colleges, Lahore College for Women University, and the suicide of a female student in the Hostel of Punjab University.

"If the FIA team needs to take/record statements of the students, the same should be taken in the presence of the Vice Chancellor, Registrar, and her/their parents, and students should not be forced to make any statement without their will," the order stated.

It further stated that if anyone had direct information and wanted to make a statement or was aware of the facts relating to those three cases, could also appear before the authorities. "It is also made clear that no one should be forced to make any statement."

In a separate development, a six-member joint investigation team (JIT) formed by the Punjab home department, held its first meeting, chaired by its head Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Naveed. The JIT includes three police officers and three representatives of sensitive agencies.

The JIT decided to collect records of individuals who shared false news on social media, according to sources. In the next meeting, the JIT will decide to invite those who shared videos and related content, the sources said.

Meanwhile, four civil judges at the district courts of Rawalpindi released 361 students arrested over Thursday's violent protests at educational institutions against the alleged rape of a female student of a private college in Lahore earlier this week.

The judges said that the courts could not let anyone play with the future of students. They rejected the police requests for the students' remand and dismissed the charges of vandalism, arson, and disturbing the peace filed against them.