Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed all session judges and special courts to complete the identification parade process of suspects involved in May 9 riots within the next 48 hours. Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh of LHC issued a 13-page verdict on a plea of a citizen, who is in jail since May 25 against delay in the identification process the lower judiciary of the province.

The judgment speaks “The delay in the identification process of the suspects has restricted the citizen right of freedom as every human being enjoys the right to live freely”. The court observed that people cannot differentiate between the arrests before the charges or after the charges; the LHC declared the arrest should be made after availing ‘concrete evidence.’

The Court gave remarks that “International human rights bodies have also raised reservations over arrest before the commencement of trial.” The LHC termed the identification process of the suspects ‘ineffective’ and said in its judgment that delay in the identification parade is against the basic human rights and fair trial. The court also underlined the need to review the steps of the administration by the constitutional courts of the country.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP