Islamabad High Court rules only one FIR can be filed per offence

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to put an end to the vicious practice of lodging multiple cases with the police of different jurisdictions against a person for the same offence, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that only one first information report (FIR) can be filed per incident with the relevant police station.

The court declared this in its detailed verdict on Sheikh Rashid Ahmed's petition to dismiss multiple cases filed against him across the country over his "indecent" comments about Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, in a 41-page full verdict issued on Saturday, underscored that it was a well-settled principle of law that a person could not be prosecuted multiple times for the same offence.

On June 25, the IHC dismissed the case filed against the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief in February last year for using offensive words against the PPP chief. The FIR was registered by Karachi’s Mochko police station in Keamari on a complaint of a local PPP leader.

The high court expressed regret over the fact that political parties, while in power, often lodge baseless cases against their political opponents, filing multiple cases for the same charge in different parts of the country, according to the verdict.

It added that this practice of harassing and torturing political opponents was a blatant violation of established laws of the land.

The detailed verdict further said that apart from the relevant police station, no other FIR could be registered for a single incident.

"It is the constitutional courts' responsibility to protect citizens' rights. In Sheikh Rashid's case, the incident occurred at PolyClinic Hospital in Islamabad , hence the court exercised its jurisdiction over it," the verdict read.

The court dismissed the case filed at Karachi's police station.

Judicial assistants and police informed Geo News that it was inappropriate to register FIRs for the Islamabad incident in other provinces.

On this basis, cases in Peshawar, Lahore, and Lasbela were also dismissed.

Sheikh Rashid was accused of using "unethical and extremely obscene" language against the former foreign minister in the FIR lodged at the Karachi police station, despite these words being uttered in Islamabad.

The police said that the case was invalid as the incident occurred in Islamabad.

A senior police officer mentioned that due to the sensitivity of the Bilawal Bhutto matter, an official statement could not be provided, citing the Supreme Court's Sughran Bibi vs State case, "which dictates that multiple FIRs cannot be registered for a single incident".

The court's decision underscored that political parties should reconsider before filing baseless cases, as it was detrimental to democracy and the rule of law. This ruling reinstates a crucial legal principle, essential for ensuring justice and protecting citizens' rights.