PHC shows anger over police raid on a house sans warrants

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday directed the police officials not to conduct raids without warrant or else action would be taken against them for

harassing the general public.

A division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Qaisar Rashid and Justice Abdul Shakoor was hearing the case of a police raid on a house in the limits of the City Police Station in Charsadda and keeping a woman in the lock-up the whole night.

A Charsadda resident, Tariq, had moved the court against the police raid

and harassment of female members of the family.

The counsel for the petitioner, Shakil Advocate, told the court that the police picked up a young woman of the family after the accused was not found in the house.

He added that the woman was kept in the lock-up for the whole night.

The lawyer told the court that as per police, the woman’s brother, Usman, is wanted to the police in a murder case. He added that he is yet to be charged in the FIR.

The deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and Station House Office (SHO) of the City Police Station, Charsadda, appeared in the court on Tuesday. Justice Qaisar Rashid, while expressing his anger over the incident, asked the officials as to why the police were terrorising families by

conducting raids at midnight.

The judge asked if the house that was raided belonged to terrorists or is there the law of the jungle that police were spreading terror and harassing women through raids without any warrant.

He warned of action against the DSP concerned and SHO if police conducted any raid without warrants in future.

The force was directed to carry out action under the law.

Another bench of the PHC comprising Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim issued notice to the Dispute Resolution Council (DRC), Takht Bhai to appear before the court with the relevant record at the next hearing of the case.

One Mohammad Amin had moved the court against a verdict by the DRC in a dispute over 12 kanal of property in Swabi.

The petitioner pleaded that the verdict of the DRC is unlawful. The court after hearing arguments summoned the DRC members.