Violence erupts at PHC after bail rejection

PESHAWAR:

Tension gripped the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday after the dismissal of a bail plea filed by a Station House Officer (SHO) accused in the murder of a young lawyer from Charsadda. The courtroom verdict sparked a violent clash between lawyers and plainclothes men, turning the court premises into a battleground.

A single-member bench of the High Court, headed by Justice Ijaz Khan, heard the bail application of SHO Behramand Shah, who has been nominated in the murder case of Advocate Asim Shah. The accused officer's counsel, Advocate Shabbir Gigyani, argued that his client had no role in the murder. He said the incident occurred during a local Jirga in Charsadda and that the SHO, acting in his official capacity, only collected evidence and registered the FIR. The counsel further submitted that Shah was now suspended, faced security threats, and therefore sought interim bail.

On the other hand, the complainant's counsel, Advocate Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, who is also the President of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association, insisted that the accused was directly involved in the killing. He alleged that the SHO destroyed evidence, attacked the victim's home, and used state machinery to intimidate the bereaved family. He urged the court to reject the bail plea, saying that the officer's arrest was essential to ensure justice.

After hearing both sides, Justice Ijaz Khan dismissed the interim bail application and ordered the immediate arrest of SHO Behramand Shah.

The court's decision triggered dramatic scenes soon after the hearing. As lawyers and others exited the courtroom, a violent scuffle broke out between lawyers and men in plainclothes, whom the lawyers alleged were associates of the accused SHO.