LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has dismissed a petition seeking transfer of a rape case investigation to a full Special Sexual Offences Investigation Unit (SSOIU), ruling that a single trained officer from the unit is competent enough to conduct the investigation independently.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh issued the verdict on a petition filed by a woman who lodged an FIR with Hafizabad city police, accusing three individuals of abduction and rape. The petitioner claimed that the suspects had recorded the videos of the act and threatened to leak them on social media.

Alleging bias and dishonesty on part of the initial woman investigating officer, she requested the district police officer (DPO), to transfer the investigation to another officer.

Later, in compliance with a LHC order, the DPO transferred the investigation to another woman police official of the rank of sub-inspector.

However, the petitioner contended that under section 9 of the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021, the investigation must be carried out by a full SSOIU team, not an individual officer. She filed a writ petition challenging the investigation transfer order.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that individual officers, even if members of the SSOIU, cannot investigate such sensitive cases independently.

In a reply, the advocate general of Punjab, however, clarified that the Anti-Rape Act does not mandate the entire SSOIU to investigate every case jointly. He highlighted that the SSOIUs are designed for specialised handling of sexual offences.

Justice Sheikh observed that while the Act emphasises the inclusion of trained officers —preferably female — in investigating sexual offences, it does not necessitate the formation of a joint team for each case.

The judge further observed that the investigating officer, the woman sub-inspector, is a trained member of the SSOIU and fully competent to investigate the matter.

The judge underlined that the primary aim of the Anti-Rape Act is to protect victims’ dignity and expedite justice, which does not get compromised if a single adequately trained officer handles the case.

The judge dismissed the petition holding that the transfer of investigation was lawful and in line with the Anti-Rape Act, 2021.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2025