The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday barred the police from arresting any person from the court premises. In his order which he gave in the case of a woman, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir ordered that not only no arrest would be made from the IHC premises but also from the premises of a sessions court and from within the judicial complex. The judge ordered SSP Investigation Rukhsar Mehdi, who appeared in the court on its order, to meet with the inspector general of Police (IGP) Islamabad and devise the standard operating procedures (SOPs). “Please tell the IGP that in future no suspect will be arrested from the premises of these courts. And please inform us in two days what the IGP said on this,” he directed. Speaking on the occasion, the SSP said he was ashamed at the arrest of a woman from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). “Normally such incidents don’t happen. I don’t know why it happened in the case of this woman,” he said, and added, “However, the ASI who had arrested her has been suspended and an investigation is underway.” The court later adjourned the case’s hearing for two days.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)