KARACHI, Aug 4: A sessions court on Saturday ordered a deputy inspector-general of police to take legal action against two police officers in a wrongful confinement case.
District and Sessions Judge (south) Hasan Feroz directed the DIG of the police to take action against the station house officers of the Nabi Bux and the Garden police stations in accordance with the law for unlawfully picking up two citizens and detaining them at a police station.
The judge said that after examining the bailiffs’ report and hearing both sides, it appeared from record that the Garden police picked up the detainees without any charge and wrongfully detained them in the lock-up of the Nabi Bux police station.
The court also directed the DIG to submit a compliance report after taking action against the police officials and also ruled that the applicant party was at liberty to seek a legal action against these officials for wrongful detention.
On a directive of the sessions court, a head bailiff and a bailiff had raided both police stations on July 23 for the recovery of the detainees and found them at the Nabi Bux police station.
They got the victims released on a personal bond since the police did not produce any FIR or entry in the daily dairy of the police station to justify their detention.
Mohammad Shahid filed a habeas corpus application under Section 491 of the criminal procedure code on July 23 submitting that his brother Zahid and cousin Arif were picked up by the Garden police in their house in Bhimpura three days ago.
He stated that the victims had unlawfully been detained either at the Garden or Nabi Bux police station, which were located nearby, and prayed for their recovery.
After a preliminary hearing, the district and sessions judge had directed the bailiffs to carry out raids on the information of the applicant and recover the detainee if found in wrongful confinement.
Statement recorded on SC directive
On a directive of the Supreme Court, a sessions court recorded on Saturday the statement of a woman whose brother claimed that she was allegedly detained at a shelter house.
The police produced Farhat Bibi in court and she deposed that her husband was mentally ill and used to subject her to torture. She had willingly left her house in Punjab and taken refuge in a shelter house in Karachi.
The woman further testified that she had filed an application for dissolution of marriage in court and added that she had no complaint against the shelter house and was keen to continue residing there.
After recording her statement, the judge sent it to the apex court through the high court.
Mohammad Asghar Rana, the woman’s brother, sent an application to the Supreme Court stating that his 26-year-old married sister was taken away by two men and she was being wrongfully detained and subjected to torture at a shelter house in Karachi. He also prayed for her recovery.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan ordered the Sindh police chief to produce the woman in court and directed the district and sessions judge to record her statement and send it to the apex court.