LHC orders criminal case against CCD officials over custody outside jail

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed police in Okara to register a criminal case against officials of the Crime Control Department (CCD) over the detention of a man taken into custody outside a jail after his release.

Justice Amjad Rafiq issued the written order while hearing a petition filed by Maqsooda Bibi. The court instructed the Okara district police officer (DPO) to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) against the CCD personnel concerned and submit a compliance report.

According to the court order, the petitioner stated that Gulfam Ali was released from jail on June 27 but was immediately taken into custody outside the prison by men in plain clothes. The order said CCTV footage of the episode and other material had been placed on record before the court.

On the court’s directions, Lahore Defence CCD Inspector Akhtar Ali submitted a report stating that the man had been arrested in connection with a criminal case registered in Okara. However, Justice Rafiq observed that the version presented by the CCD was at odds with the video evidence available before the court.

Court findings

The judge held that filing an incorrect report before the court and keeping a citizen in unlawful detention were cognisable offences. On that basis, the court ordered criminal proceedings against the CCD officials involved.

The written order requires the Okara DPO to register the FIR against the relevant officers and place a report before the court after carrying out the directions.

The case arose from the petition moved by Maqsooda Bibi, who challenged the circumstances in which Gulfam Ali was taken away after his release. In its order, the court said the available CCTV footage contradicted the account submitted by the CCD, leading to its direction for registration of a case.