MULTAN: A local court on Thursday sought a reply from the deputy superintendent of the District Jail for demanding Rs30m from two prisoners.

As per details, the prisoners, Shahzad and Maqsood, filed a case with the sessions court, stating that Rs3,000 was being charged from each new prisoner who entered in the jail first time while Rs1,500 were being charged for a haircut.

They said Deputy Superintendent Shaikh Arif Imtiaz had turned against them for helping another prisoner, Faisal, when he was being tortured on the direction of the superintendent. They alleged that Mr Imtiaz had joined hands with the opponents in their cases and was demanding Rs30m for helping them for reconciliation.

They alleged that on their refusal, the jail deputy superintendent issued them threats, stopped their meeting with their families and banned food their family would bring for them. The two prisoners further alleged the Mr Imtiaz was using goons imprisoned in the jail to torture other prisoners.

They prayed to the court to issue directions to the jail staff to follow the laws and restrain him from torturing the prisoners and forcing them to pay money for tasks and reliefs.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Nawaz Bhatti directed the deputy superintendent jail to submit his reply till Jan 29.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2020