PESHAWAR, Aug 1: A juvenile prisoner involved in a charas smuggling case was released on bail by a local court here on Wednesday. The Society for the Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) had filed a bail application for Juma Gul under its Free Legal Aid Programme for juvenile offenders.

The Yakatut police had arrested Juma Gul, 16, on July 8 and charged him under Sections 3 and 4 of the Juvenile Ordinance for allegedly transporting about 800 grams of charas.

Peshawar Judicial Magistrate Tilla Mohammad Khan took up the bail application and SPARC's lawyer Ejaz Ahmad Khan contended that there was no independent witness to the case against Juma Gul.

He also informed the court that the sections imposed against the petitioner were bailable and requested the court to release him under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO).

After arguments, the judge ordered the release of the juvenile prisoner on bail against two surety bonds, each worth Rs100,000.—APP