After 22 years: Punjab DCs empowered to enforce Section 144

LAHORE: After the approval of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1898 (Punjab Amendment) Act 2024 by the Punjab Assembly, Deputy Commissioners have received legal powers to enforce Section 144 in view of law and order in the province after a lapse 22 years.

According to the documents received by “Jang”, after the approval of the bill by the Punjab Assembly, now the Deputy Commissioners have got the powers to impose Section 144 in the province for 30 days and the Home Secretary for 90 days.

When the system of district governments was introduced in 2002 during the Musharraf regime, sub-sections (1), (4), and (5) of CrPC 1898 were amended to give the authority to impose Section 144 from the deputy commissioner to the district nazim. Sub-section (1) was amended to provide that the district administrator shall impose Section 144 on the recommendation of the District Superintendent of Police, now known as (District Police Officer, DPO) and the Executive District Officer, now known as (Deputy Commissioner). After the end of the Musharraf era, the district nazim was abolished, then the position of deputy commissioner was restored, but by amending the CrPC, the name of deputy commissioner was not written in place of the word “district nazim”, due to which the deputy commissioners legally did not have the authority to impose Section 144.