Too late: Policeman in trouble for submitting challan after seven years

Police should go after then investigation officer, lawyer says.

LAHORE:

An additional district and sessions judge on Wednesday fixed November 18 for arguments in the pre-arrest bail petition of a police official accused of submitting a case challan before the court after a lapse of seven years.

Inspector Muhammad Akmal of Township police had registered a case against Sajjad Mehdi under Section 155/C of the Police Order 2002 (wilful breach or neglect of any provision of law or of any rule or regulation or any order which he is bound to observe or obey).

Mehdi’s counsel Advocate Chaudhary Irfan Sadiq Tarar said his client was innocent and had been wrongly implicated.

He said his client had been assigned the case but was later transferred and the case was referred to another officer.

He said his client had nothing to do with the investigation of the case after his transfer, however he was blamed in an inquiry conducted by senior police officials. Tarar said Medhi had been declared guilty without a hearing.



He said the FIR registered against his client did not have legal standing. He said the police cannot register a case under Section 155/C.

Tarar said the FIR stated that the case challan had been submitted to a court after seven years. The police should question the officer at that time instead of harassing Mehdi who had been transferred, he said. Mehdi is the son of singer Mehdi Hassan.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2013.