LHC dismisses daughter’s petition over denied jail meeting with Bushra Imran

Court upholds objection, says plea should have been filed at Rawalpindi bench

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Mubashira Khawar Maneka against jail authorities for allegedly denying her a meeting with her mother, Bushra Imran Khan, the former first lady and wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail.

The court heard the matter as an objection petition and upheld the registrar’s office objection, ruling that the plea was not maintainable before the Lahore High Court’s principal seat in Lahore. Justice Farooq Haider presided over the hearing.

The registrar’s office had objected that the petition should have been filed before the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court, as Adiala Jail falls within its territorial jurisdiction. Upholding this objection, the court dismissed the petition.

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Counsel for the petitioner argued that the plea was maintainable and could be filed before any bench of the Lahore High Court. He contended that all benches of the high court had the authority to hear such matters and urged the court to set aside the office objection and fix the petition for regular hearing.

According to the petition, the Inspector General of Prisons and the Superintendent of Adiala Jail were named as respondents. The petitioner alleged that the jail administration stopped the scheduled meeting without providing any written reason, despite it being the designated day for family meetings and despite her blood relationship with the inmate.

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The petition further claimed that the jail authorities’ actions reflected mala fide intent and misuse of authority. The petitioner had requested the court to issue directions for an immediate meeting with her mother.

The court, however, did not go into the merits of the case and dismissed the petition on jurisdictional grounds.