LAHORE: A sessions court on Monday dismissed a petition of former law minister Rana Sanaullah Khan seeking permission to have home cooked food in jail.

The presiding judge, Qaiser Nazir Butt, observed that the petitioner should approach the jail superintendent for the redress of his grievance.

The judge had reserved the verdict on July 13 after petitioner’s counsel completed his arguments and the prisons department filed its reply.

Advocate Farhad Ali Shah representing Rana Sana had stated that the health of his client was not good. He said the petitioner before his arrest had been consuming food on the advice of his personal physician.

The lawyer had claimed that the health of the petitioner could deteriorate if he was not provided home cooked food in the jail.

On the other side, an official of the prisons department had told court that the petitioner had been served with food as per his health in the jail.

He claimed that the health of the petitioner was good as jail doctors conduct his medical examination every day.

The ANF had arrested Rana Sana on July 1 in a narcotics case and the next day a judicial magistrate sent him to jail on judicial remand.

The force had received 15kg heroin from the possession of Rana Sana and lodged a case under section 9 (C) of Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail-term that may extend to 14 years along with a fine up to Rs1 million.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2019