Vehicles’ seizure challenged

Petitioner says issuing tickets to vehicles without or damaged number plates was responsibility of E&T Department.

LAHORE: An additional district and sessions judge will hear preliminary arguments on March 4 on a petition asking the court to declare illegal an order from the capital city police officer (CCPO) for the confiscation of unregistered and unattended vehicles.

Petitioner Chaudhry Shahid Nawab Cheema submitted that the CCPO had issued an order instructing police officials to seize motorbikes and cars left unattended in non-parking areas or those without number plates or damaged number plates, under Article 134 of the Police Order of 2002.

He said that the article required police officials to submit a report on each vehicle seized to the area magistrate, but they were not doing so. He said that police officials were confiscating vehicles that were not unclaimed and many citizens were suffering as a result.

He said that issuing tickets to motorbikes and cars without number plates or with damaged plates was the responsibility of the Excise and Taxation Department, not of the police.

He said that the CCPO’s orders should be declared illegal.