ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: The Supreme Court on Friday order the home secretaries of Sindh and NWFP to submit a detailed report on under trial women prisoners released on bail under a recent presidential ordinance.

A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, was hearing a constitutional petition challenging a presidential ordinance promulgated on July 6, 2006, called Law Reform Ordinance 2006 to facilitate release of women detained on various charges, including Hudood laws.

The ordinance suggested that all the under trial female prisoners involved in criminal and Hudood cases should be released on bail immediately.

As a direct consequence of this ordinance some 1,300 women prisoners who were languishing in country’s different jails, mostly in Hudood cases, were supposed to come out of jails immediately after the completion of their bail process.

Earlier, the offence under Hudood ordinances were non- bailable and not compoundable but the presidential ordinance amended section 497 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) where under women involved in rape, adultery and other criminal and Hudood cases, except murder and terrorism, would be eligible to avail the benefit of bail.

The ordinance was challenged by a citizen Shahid Orakzai with the contention that women released from jails had no protection and they were not being given any security or shelter.

While hearing the case, the apex court also asked Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan to attend its proceedings on October 13, the next date of hearing.