PESHAWAR, March 26: Additional District and Sessions Judge Tariq Yousufzai on Saturday declared illegal a notice issued by a station house officer to a woman in which she had been asked to leave the jurisdiction of his police station. The court accepted an application filed by Ms Hidayat challenging the notice issued by SHO Shahid Khan of C-Division police station on March 14. The court directed the SHO not to tease the applicant. The judge observed that the constitution guaranteed rights of every citizen and the SHO cannot be allowed to violate those rights.

The court asked the SHO under which law had he issued the impugned notice. The SHO replied that complaints by residents of the area, including a cleric, had forced him to issue the notice. He said the complainants had threatened to stage a demonstration if the lady and her family were not expelled from the locality.

The judge asked the SHO would he quit the job if in future they staged a demonstration against him?