ISLAMABAD, May 18: The government has asked the district and sessions judges to entertain complaints of habeas corpus in the light of the recent amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Earlier, only high courts had the powers to entertain complaints of illegal detentions by police and other law enforcement agencies.

According to official sources, the decision has been taken because of the growing backlog of cases in the high courts which delayed entertainment of complaints lodged against illegal detentions.

The Chief Justices Committee, headed by former chief justice of Pakistan Irshad Hassan Khan, had proposed delegation of power to district and sessions judges.

The National Reconstruction Bureau had also recommended the same arrangement in its devolution plan, facilitating an amendment to the CrPC last month.

It was learnt that under the new arrangement, readers of the district judges would act as bailiffs of the court and recover an illegally-detained person after filing of habeas corpus petition on his behalf.

Official sources were confident that the new arrangement would help minimize complaints of police highhandedness and prove a constant check on arrests made in violation of law.