ISLAMABAD, April 19: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior has approved a bill that binds police to complete investigation into any case within three months. The bill proposed several reforms in the investigation and judicial system and would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1898 and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) 1860.

Talking to reporters after conclusion of the committee’s meeting here on Tuesday, Senator Kamil Ali Aga, a member of the committee, said the bill had been approved to bridle the discretionary powers of police and provide relief to the general public.

He said the bill would be referred back to the Senate, which would approve it after holding a debate. After its clearance from the National Assembly (NA) and the president, the bill would become a law. Senator Anwar Bhinder was mover of the bill.

The members of the committee condemned police atrocities during the course of investigation. They said there was need to convert police into a public-friendly force.

It was decided that show cause notices would be issued to those police officers who failed to complete investigation into cases within three months. Such officers would be dealt with under the rules.

According to the bill, the investigating officers would submit challan to the court within 14 days from the date of arrest of the accused. The period of investigation would also be included in the total imprisonment of a person.

Senator Aga explained that if a person remained behind the bars for three years during the course of investigation and was later on awarded four-year imprisonment, he would serve one more year in jail. He said the period of investigation, which the accused served behind the bars, was not included in conviction, in the past.

The committee also approved that the bereaved family of an accused, who died while serving his/her sentence, would still reserve the right to contest the case in appeal.