March 31, 2006	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 1, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, March 30: The Supreme Court on Wednesday called an explanation from sessions judges seized with cases of prisoners involved in bailable offences and directed them to decide the cases within two weeks.

All courts seized with the cases of bailable offences are also required to submit reports to the registrar of the Supreme Court about disposing of such cases before April 17.

According to a report of the inspector-general prisons, which the apex court converted into a “criminal miscellaneous application”, 524 people involved in bailable offences are still languishing in jails.

“Apparently their detention is illegal unless it is proved that they are not in a position to furnish bonds for their release,” the CJ observed in his order, adding: “surprisingly in some cases the prisoners are in jail for a period of more than a year.”

Earlier, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had asked the chief secretaries and home secretaries of all the four provinces to provide complete lists of prisoners in their respective provinces.

Advocate generals of the four provinces have also been directed to appear on the next date of hearing along with details of disposed of cases of such prisoners.

Sessions judges in whose jurisdiction such prisoners are confined have also been directed to explain as to why these prisoners were still in custody. If such prisoners are not in a position to submit bonds, courts still release them on personal bonds, he noted.

He also directed the sessions judges to ask for the attendance of such prisoners to ensure their release subject to furnishing of suitable surety bonds.

The session judges should also fix responsibility on law- enforcement agencies, magistrates or judges who did not allow them concession of bail and granted judicial remands without authority.