Judge castigates FIA over challans' non-submission, false reports.

LAHORE -- A judge of a special court (Central-I) has taken a strong exception to non-submission of challans (investigation reports) within the stipulated period and getting innocent people declared proclaimed offenders on the basis of fake documents by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

'The FIA authorities have made a habit of audaciously defying and eluding the process of law. This gimmick on their part amounts to sabotaging the judicial system,' Judge Bakht Fakhar Bahzad observes.

The judge holds that the non-serious attitude of the FIA has not only created frustration among the public at large, but also resulted in losing faith in the justice delivery system, which is a burning question for the courts and the law enforcement agencies.

He observes that the court is seriously viewing the inordinate delay of years in compliance of the provision of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) as it undermines not only the dignity of law, but the functioning of the court also.

The judge notes that the FIA's conduct cannot be tolerated or allowed to prevail, but the same needs to be curbed and dealt with an iron hand to uphold the dignity of the court and the law.

The judge has made these observations in an order recently passed in a case Safeer Gondal versus the FIA.

In addition to the inordinate delay in submission of the challans, the judge regrets in many cases fake reports of non-appearance of the suspects have been filed in his court and ultimately the FIA-Lahore officials succeeded in achieving their goal of getting the innocent persons declared proclaimed offenders.

The judge observes that all these facts have already been brought into the notice of the FIA-Lahore director and deputy director concerned, but it seems they consider themselves above the law.

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