The PTI workers’ release in 11 areas was ordered by the LHC.
Case law mandates that suspects be informed of their charges upon arrest.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) declared the detention orders of 11 districts of Punjab, including the provincial capital, to be unlawful on Thursday, and ordered the immediate release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers.
In a nine-page ruling, Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid ruled that the detention orders against PTI leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid and others were unconstitutional, satisfying the arguments filed by Imran Abbas Bhatti and others.
The tragic events of May 9 were not representative of a “peaceful and democratic country,” the court noted. The duty for keeping the peace, however, was placed squarely on the shoulders of the administration.
The LHC feels that the response to the PTI leader’s detention on May 9 was inappropriate. The highest court declared that the current administration ‘blindly’ issued numerous detention orders. “There was plenty of time to make arrests in criminal cases if it [the government] had evidence,” the court added.
The ruling emphasised that it was improper to arbitrarily arrest civilians and throw them in prisons without giving them a chance to defend themselves.
According to the ruling, the district police officer (DPO) was notified by the deputy commissioner of every citizen arrest. According to the document, the deputy commissioner’s judgement itself was illegal under Article 3 of the Public Maintenance Ordinance of 1960.
Lahore, Wazirabad, Jhang, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujarat, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, and Narowal PTI members had their detention orders overturned by the court.
