PESHAWAR, April 5: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the district judiciary to decide within three months 56 pending cases involving under-trial prisoners who have been in confinement for two years. It is learnt that on the directives of the PHC chief justice, the member of inspection team, Subhan Sher, issued an order on Tuesday to the district and sessions judge in which details of the said 56 cases were given.

In four of the cases, the accused have been behind bars since 2000 and in 21 cases since 2001. In the remaining 31 cases, under-trial prisoners have been in prison since 2002.

One of the prisoners, Fayaz, has been facing trial for more than five years.

He was arrested in a murder case on Jan 2, 2000. The case is pending before the court of an additional district and sessions judge. There are other such cases pending adjudication.