PHC CJ visits Swabi Judicial Complex, sub-jails

PESHAWAR: Chief Justice Peshawar High Court (PHC) Justice Musarrat Hilali paid a surprise visit to the Judicial Complex, Swabi and sub-jails in Swabi and Charsadda districts on Saturday.

During the visit, the CJ observed the court proceedings and met the female litigants to learn about their problems and expedite solutions thereto. She directed the district and sessions judge, Swabi, to deal with the matters of litigants efficiently and expedite the long pending family court cases.

She was pleased to notice the female court staff including a reader, computer operator and naib qasid.

The CJ also visited Sub-Jail Swabi and expressed her satisfaction over general area hygiene, standard of food and space in the barracks.

The superintendent jail apprised her about frequent electricity load-shedding and other issues, to which the district and sessions judge was directed to take up the matter with Pesco for immediate resolution. She met prisoners and listened to their problems regarding trials. It was learnt that some prisoners were being interned in small and petty nature cases. Justice Hilali ordered the district and sessions judge Swabi for immediate remedial actions and instructed the judicial magistrate to conduct a jail visit and decide petty nature cases at the earliest.

At the Sub-Jail Charsadda, the chief justice visited the barracks individually and found them overcrowded. The superintendent of jail and district and sessions judge Charsadda highlighted the need for acquisition of additional land to address the space challenge.

The chief justice assured them to raise the issue at appropriate forums. The district and sessions judge, Charsadda was ordered to enlist the problems brought out by the inmates, resolve petty nature cases on priority basis and arrange a prosecutor for deserving cases.

The chief justice also visited the dispensary, and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements of the jail superintendent and instructed him to pay attention to the rights of the inmates.