Double treat: Over 100 granted bails ahead of Eid

Some prisoners exchanged words with policemen on being denied bail

LAHORE: Judicial magistrates at Model Town, Cantt and District courts granted bails on Friday to more than 100 people jailed for minor offences such as drinking and scuffles.

Police officials from several police stations, including Kot Lakhpat, Factory Area, Ghalib Market, Shahdara and Garden Town, produced the accused before relevant courts for deciding their bails.

Lawyers in plainclothes were seen filling in bail bonds. Some prisoners exchanged words with policemen after they were denied bails saying that they were not produced in courts in time.

More than 4,000 bail petitions were received at Cantt, Model Town, District courts and the sessions court in the last week of Ramazan. On average more than 500 bail applications were filed on each day in the last week compared to nearly 2,000 applications that are received over a week rest of the year.

Some prisoners said they had been implicated in false cases.

Muhammad Ali, one of the prisoners, said he had been implicated in a drug case. “I am happy to be granted bail,” he told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2015.