LAKKI MARWAT, Sept 9: District and Sessions Judge (DJ) Lakki Marwat Anwar Ali Khan on Friday set aside a decision of local police to release nine persons charged with assaulting three women. The court, while declaring the release of these accused illegal, also issued warrants for their arrest.

Meraaj Bibi, one of the three victims, had filed a petition before the court seeking arrest of the nine persons under sections 354-A, 342, 337, 148 and 149 PPC.

On June 17, 2005, some armed men had assaulted three women, Meraaj Bibi, Sadozai Bibi and Khatam Bibi, while they were collecting firewood outside of their village Sur Bund.

The police, after registering a case, apprehended accused Rehmatullah and on the basis of his statement decided to arrest co-accused Adam Khan, Azad Khan, Akram Khan, Jamil Khan, Hashim Khan, Munawar Khan, Mamoor Khan, Rehim Dil and Khamdil but they were granted interim pre-arrest bail by the DJ Lakki.

Later they withdrew their application for bail before arrest, surrendered themselves before the police and moved an application to the district police officer Lakki for fresh inquiry into the case. Within few days, the station house officer of PS Lakki Marwat, on the orders of his superiors, released them on their furnishing sureties.

Meraaj Bibi filed a petition. Pursuant to the court orders, the police arrested the accused from the court premises and sent them to judicial lock-up.

The court observed that most of the SHOs were ignorant of the law and every SHO had opened a bargain shop in the police station in connivance with his superiors for declaring accused innocent and releasing them on bail.