On Thursday, Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid of the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued an immediate release order for all individuals imprisoned due to the events on May 9.
LHC orders release of PTI workers: The province supreme court declared the planned arrest of PTI employees, including those in Lahore and ten other districts, as “illegal.”
In a nine-page written judgment, Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid reversed the detention orders, including those for Dr. Yasmin Rashid and others. However, the decision has been made to declare the imprisonment of employees in Lahore, Wazirabad, Jhang, Sheikhupura, Khafazabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Sialkot, and Narowal as unlawful.
The sad event on May 9 conveyed the wrong impression of a tranquil, democratic environment, the court’s ruling emphasized.
Although maintaining peace and order is the government’s responsibility, the judge observed that the nation’s reaction to the May 9 detention of a political figure was disheartening. The court chastised the government for issuing several detention orders without considering them. They asserted that the authorities would have had ample time to make lawful arrests if there was any evidence of illegal activity.
The court’s decision mandates informing the accused about the allegations against them so that they can prepare a defense.
However, The violation of Section 3 of the Public Mantis Ordinance, 1960, occurred as the deputy commissioner’s action, as mentioned in the notification, detained individuals solely based on the District Police Officer (DPO) report.