Court delays indictment in Punjab PA hiring case

LAHORE:

An anti-corruption court has directed a law officer to distinguish the set of accused persons for framing of charges in a case related to allegedly illegal recruitments in the Punjab Assembly. Punjab former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi is among the key accused.

Resuming hearing of the case on Tuesday, the judge sought arguments by November 6 on the applications submitted under Section 249-A of the CrPC.

As proceedings commenced, the deputy prosecutor general objected to the absence of Elahi from court. Counsel for Elahi submitted a written application seeking dispensation of his personal appearance, maintaining that the accused was unable to appear due to illness.

The law officer informed the court that the charge in this case has yet to be framed, and for that purpose, the appearance of the accused is necessary.

He further stated that copies of the relevant documents required under Section 241-A of the CrPC had been distributed to the accused on January 19, 2024, and again on March 6, 2024.

Counsel for other accused persons objected that their applications under Section 249-A CrPC were still pending adjudication, as their individual roles required separate appreciation. Consequently, arguments on the said applications were heard.

Mukhtar Ahmad Ranjha, counsel for one of the accused, argued that his client had been appointed to the Punjab Assembly through an online testing system, securing 80 percent marks in the written test, while the remaining 20 percent were reserved for the interview.

He contended that the recruitment process was entirely online, eliminating any physical interaction, and therefore, there was no possibility of his client offering bribery or exerting undue influence to obtain the job.

The state law officer requested adjournment for arguments on the applications filed under Section 249-A CrPC. The court directed the law officer to distinguish the set of accused persons for framing of charges.

It observed that accused Elahi held a constitutional office, while members of the alleged recruitment committee were shown as proclaimed offenders.