LAHORE: The Lahore High Court directed on Thursday the capital city police officer to submit details of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers detained without lawful authority.

Earlier, a written reply on behalf of the CCPO told the court that no worker of the PTI had been arrested other than those detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

The officer stated that 13 workers were detained at the Gulberg police station under detention orders issued by the district coordination. He said there was no ban on public gatherings of the PTI.

Also read: PTI moves court against action

Justice Syed Iftikhar Husain Shah was hearing a petition filed by local PTI leader Zubair Niazi challenging detention of the party workers.

Petitioner’s counsel opposed the reply submitted by the CCPO and said 135 party workers were detained by the police. He also presented a list of the alleged detained workers.

Justice Shah adjourned the hearing till Sept 23 and directed the CCPO to submit details about the detained PTI workers.

The judge also issued a notice to the inspector general of Punjab police.

Verdict: The Lahore High Court on Thursday reserved verdict on a bail petition of two blasphemy suspects.

Kamalia police registered a case under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code against Asif and Imran Raza for alleged desecration of verses from the Holy Quran.

Counsel for the suspects argued that his clients were implicated in a fake case. He said police failed to produce any tangible evidence or eyewitnesses of the alleged occurrence narrated in the FIR.

The counsel asked the court to release the suspects on bail.

A deputy prosecutor told the court that the suspects had been found guilty in investigation and they were being tried. He said releasing the suspects during the trial would not be appropriate.

After hearing both sides, Justice Ibadur Rehman Lodhi reserved judgment on the petition.

Hepatitis-C kits: The Lahore High Court suspended on Thursday a Punjab health department notification about canceling the contract of a company for supplying Hepatitis-C kits.

The court passed this order on a petition filed by the company and sought a report from the department by Oct 22.

The company through its counsel pleaded that it supplied Hepatitis-C kits in terms of the contract.

He said the department terminated the contract when some of the kits were founds substandard.

The counsel said the petitioner-company undertook to replace the substandard kits, but the department awarded the contract to a new company.

The court provisionally suspended the termination of the contract and sought a reply from the department.

LPG price: The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the petroleum ministry and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) about unjustified increase in prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) allegedly without approval.

Advocate Noshab A. Khan filed a petition and contended that LPG marketing companies increased price of the gas without issuance of notification from Ogra, the competent authority.

The lawyer said the LPG price should have been decreased keeping in view $25 drop per ton in international market but the situation in local market was otherwise.

He argued that the Ogra announced no new prices for the LPG, therefore, the recent hike in the rates was illegal. He asked the court to set aside the new prices for the gas fixed by the marketing companies for being unlawful.

Justice Shujaat Ali Khan adjourned further hearing till Oct 22 and directed the respondents to submit their replies.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2014