Police chief faces LHC grilling over contempt
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Abdul Kareem in person along with the relevant record on Thursday in two contempt proceedings involving alleged non-compliance with judicial orders by officials.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum passed the orders while hearing petitions concerning illegal registration of a case and harassment of citizens by police, with the court expressing strong displeasure over the handling of the matters.
Hearing a contempt petition filed by a citizen, Mian Muhammad Jameel, against Chung police officials and others, the court summoned the IGP after a superintendent of police who appeared on behalf of the department failed to read out a First Information Report (FIR) when directed by the chief justice.
"It's not possible to read the FIR; it is not clear what has been written. SP sahib, please read the FIR," the chief justice stated.
Despite the direction, the officer could not read the FIR, prompting the court to express strong displeasure over the manner in which police records were prepared.
"The entire Punjab has been ruined; this is the situation in Punjab," Justice Neelum remarked, observing that FIRs were not even written in a readable manner.
According to the petitioner, a sessions court had in 2021 ordered registration of a case against him. He had challenged the decision before the LHC, where a single bench had suspended the order for registration of the case.
The petitioner contended that despite the high court order, the police had proceeded to register a case against him illegally, leading him to file the contempt petition.
In another contempt case filed by citizen Momin Khan against Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana, the court rejected an inquiry report submitted by the police and summoned the IGP along with the relevant record.
The petitioner contended that the court had earlier forwarded his application to the CCPO for redressal against harassment and intimidation by police officials.
He alleged that despite the court's directions, Ichhra police had continued to harass him and conduct illegal raids at his home.
The petitioner contended that the court order was not being complied with and requested the LHC to initiate contempt proceedings against the Lahore CCPO.
The court rejected a police inquiry report and directed the Punjab Police IG to appear in person with the relevant record in the next hearing.
The LHC also set aside the death sentence handed down to one Muhammad Hassan in a murder and attempted murder case and acquitted him, observing that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. A bench ordered his immediate release from jail.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Aalia Neelum and Justice Abher Gul Khan issued a detailed 22-page judgment on Hassan's appeal, which also set out principles regarding the assessment of evidence in criminal cases.
The case had been registered in 2021 at Mandi Ahmadabad police station in Depalpur on charges of murder and attempted murder. The trial court had sentenced the accused to death and 10-year imprisonment. The death sentence was subsequently referred to the LHC for confirmation through a murder reference.
Justice Abher Gul, who authored the judgment, observed that delay in registration of the FIR and the course adopted in this regard raised doubts about consultation and deliberation after the incident.
With additional input from APP