LHC chief justice summons Punjab IG Rao Abdul Kareem in contempt plea against Lahore police

Lahore High Court’s chief justice, Aalia Neelum, summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Abdul Kareem on Wednesday in a contempt of court case against the personnel of the Chung police. The chief justice was presiding over a petition filed by citizen Mian Muhammad Jamil, who was represented by Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdullah.

The petitioner's counsel, Advocate Shahbaz Bhatti, informed the judge that a Lahore High Court single bench had previously suspended an order from a sessions court to register a first information report (FIR) against his client. Despite this ruling, Bhatti alleged, the police proceeded to unlawfully register the case against the petitioner.

When Justice Neelum asked SP Abdullah to read the contents of the FIR aloud, he struggled to do so, expressing disbelief over the unreadable nature of the document. The chief justice expressed her frustration, noting that such poorly written FIRs were prevalent throughout Punjab. She also sarcastically remarked on the size of the writing, comparing it to that of "flies."

Justice Neelum then summoned IGP Kareem in person and requested the relevant record for a hearing on Thursday. In a separate case, the chief justice rejected an inquiry report submitted by Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO) in a contempt of court matter against the officer. The petitioner, Momin Khan, alleged that police officials were harassing him despite court orders.

His counsel argued that a previous petition against police harassment had been referred to the CCPO for resolution, but the police continued to subject him to harassment. The counsel contended that the police had not complied with the court's directives and sought contempt proceedings against the CCPO.