Identity protection breach irritates LHC

LAHORE:

Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Aalia Neelum has called out the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Punjab, Dr Usman Anwar, for not taking more concrete steps to prevent the video of a female student depicting her as a rape victim went viral.

The ECJ heard a plea for a high-level investigation into an alleged increase in cases of harassment in Lahore’s educational institutions. The petitioner has also taken action against those involved in an alleged rape case and those who used excessive force against protesting students.

During the proceedings, the Court of Justice asked whether the IGP was unaware that he had done nothing to stop the video.

The Anti-Rape Act does not allow the name of an affected woman to be made public, but this had been done egregiously, the ECJ noted.

The IGP must inform the court why the police did not take action after the video went viral. It amounts to destroying a girl’s life irrespective of whether the incident had taken place or not, the CJ noted.

CJ Aalia Neelum also summoned the Registrar of the Lahore College for Women University and Advocate General of Punjab on Friday.

The CJ made it clear that a handwritten ‘roznamcha’ would be required, and not computerized.

The petitioner’s counsel Rana Muhammad Sikander quoted Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan as saying that the university vice-chancellor had told him that he had failed to end harassment in the institution.

Petitioner Azam Butt, in the plea filed through advocate Rana Muhammad Sikander, had also requested the LHC to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety and well-being of female students, thereby restoring their confidence in the safety and protection provided by the institutions. followed by the submission of a report on this matter to the court.

The petitioner cited examples of a university where a rape case was alleged, the Punjab University where a female student committed suicide due to harassment, and the LCWU, where students had protested against alleged harassment by a clerk.

Instigated case

Meanwhile, a magistrate dismissed an accused, Faisal Shahzad, from a case after the prosecution failed to establish the incitement of the general public on his part to take action against the college or the state.

According to the court

it was noted that there was no clear evidence against the suspect as no USB or digital media for forensic examination was available to prove the prosecution’s case.

Judicial Magistrate Naeem Bakhsh has rejected the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) request for physical remand of the suspect and dismissed him from the case.

The suspect had been charged with reference to eleven videos regarding allegations relating to the alleged university incident.

He was accused of conducting false propaganda and inciting people against the government based on an initial technical report.