Punjab police FIRs leave LHC chief justice worried about judges ‘losing eyesight’

The Lahore High Court (LHC) recently directed the Punjab police to enlarge the font size used in first information reports (FIRs) throughout the province. Chief Justice Aalia Neelum made this decision during a hearing on an issue stemming from a contempt of court petition. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Abdul Karim was present in court to address the matter.

The chief justice expressed her frustration over the small font size in the FIRs, stating that the documents were difficult to read. She highlighted the issue as becoming increasingly common, noting that while the police were conserving paper, they were inadvertently compromising their own ability to read the reports. Chief Justice Neelum remarked, "While police are saving paper, we are losing our eyesight."

She pointed out that compressing the information from three pages onto a single page would undoubtedly render the font unreadable. The CJ ordered the IGP to ensure the implementation of larger font sizes uniformly across all FIRs in Punjab. The IGP claimed that a letter had already been submitted to the chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board, requesting an increase in the font size.

The chief justice requested a comprehensive report from the IGP on the measures taken and adjourned the hearing until September 29. Additionally, she sought a separate report concerning a contempt of court petition filed by a citizen against the police. During a hearing on Wednesday, involving a petition filed by a citizen, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdullah was present on behalf of the Chiniot police.

When Justice Neelum asked SP Abdullah to read the FIR aloud, he struggled to properly read or narrate its contents. "Why is the FIR not readable? I cannot understand what has been written in it," the chief justice remarked. She also made a sarcastic remark about the handwriting, comparing it to "flies" and quipping, "Even the size of the flies is bigger than this."