LHC Reprimands Punjab Police Over Trial Delays, Seeks IGP Explanation
The Lahore High Court has reprimanded the Punjab Police over what it called incompetence that is undermining the criminal justice system and adding to the burden on courts. Chief Justice Aalia Neelum sought an explanation from the provincial police chief over prolonged delays in investigations and the failure to produce witnesses, in the latest LHC reprimand of the Punjab Police over trial delays.
The chief justice was hearing a post-arrest bail petition filed by Muhammad Saim. She asked how judges could be blamed for the LHC trial delays when police failures to complete investigations, arrest suspects in time and produce witnesses had stalled trials for years.
“IG sahib, have you examined this case? Your police officers are adding to the burden on courts. The challan remained pending for two years. When were the accused arrested, and why did the police not arrest them earlier?” the chief justice asked the Punjab Police chief, who appeared before the court. “Is my court slow? The judge is working, while the police are protecting the accused. Should I appreciate this?” she remarked.
LHC trial delays: what the court told the police
The court ordered a report by October 19 on pending challans and cases under investigation across Punjab, along with details of the department’s mechanism to address the delays. The inspector general was directed to submit the report, which the court said would be examined in chamber.
During the hearing, the court was informed that the case involved 11 accused. The chief justice observed that, according to a report, police had continued arresting new suspects even after witnesses had begun recording their statements, a practice that had kept the trial from concluding for six years.
The petitioner submitted that a double-murder case had been registered at Raiwind city police station in 2020, but the police had failed to complete the investigation or bring the trial to a conclusion. He said he had remained in jail for six years and sought release on bail. The court granted the police time to complete the investigation and produce the witnesses, as reported by the Express Tribune.
Why the delay matters
The hearing put figures to a familiar complaint: a single challan pending for two years, fresh arrests made after witness statements had already started, and a trial frozen for six years while the accused stayed in custody. The chief justice framed the backlog as a policing failure rather than a judicial one, asking what mechanism the force had devised to eliminate such delays.
The October 19 report will now test that question across the province, with the court seeking province-wide figures on pending challans and investigations. The directive adds to recent LHC orders this month, which have also covered forest protection.
Courts in Punjab have handled a run of closely watched proceedings in recent weeks, from bail hearings in Rawalpindi to remand proceedings and criminal cases reaching trial.
What did the LHC say about Punjab Police trial delays?
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum reprimanded the Punjab Police, saying incompetence was undermining the criminal justice system and burdening courts. She sought an explanation from the IGP and ordered a province-wide report on pending challans and investigations by October 19.
What case was the LHC hearing?
A post-arrest bail petition by Muhammad Saim, linked to a 2020 double-murder case registered at Raiwind city police station. The petitioner said he had spent six years in jail while the trial stalled.
What did the court order the Punjab IGP to do?
Submit a report by October 19 on pending challans and cases under investigation across Punjab, along with the department’s mechanism for fixing investigation delays.
