PESHAWAR: Peshawar district and sessions judge Mohammad Rauf Khan, on Thursday visited Peshawar Central Prison and disposed of cases of 44 undertrial prisoners charged in petty nature offences. They will be released after completion of legal formalities so they could celebrate Eidul Fitr with their families.

The district judge was accompanied by a judicial magistrate Akber Ali Mohmand, deputy public prosecutor Qaiser Shah and Peshawar District Bar Association president Amjid Ali Marwat.

The district judge decided cases of 32 prisoners whereas the judicial magistrate also disposed of cases of 12 prisoners.

An official of the court said that the district judge visited the jail on the directives of Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel so that prisoners involved in minor offences could be set free before Eidul Fitr.

The district judge went through different sections of the prison and asked the authorities to improve the facilities. Presently, against the sanctioned strength of 420 prisoners around 2,890 people have been kept in the prison.

An official said that the prisoners had been huddled in different barracks and several of the prisoners were suffering from skin diseases. The district judge also visited the kitchen, hospital and other portions of the prison and inquired about the facilities available there.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2016