keeping in view the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country the Lahore High Court chief justice also ordered the prison officials to prepare a list of prisoners who are serving minor sentences. The court also ordered the inmates to submit bail requests so that they could be released.
Justice Qasim Khan remarked that the jail superintendents will file bail pleas in local courts on behalf of the prisoners.
Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered to release prisoners accused of minor crimes on bail from the Adiala Jail in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.
The court had remarked that 5,001 prisoners are present in the Adiala Jail while its capacity is of 2,174 inmates.
The IHC had directed Islamabad deputy commissioner to appoint an officer to oversee the matters pertaining to surety bonds of the detainees
Following conditions are set by Lahore High Court Chief Justice to jail superintendents.
In the wake of prevaling situation, the rapid spead of corona virus, the Hon’ble Authority has been pleased to desire that the superintendants of the concerned jails shall move bail applications (fresh or second as the case may be) of the prisoners of following categories :
(i) Under-trial prisoners of offences, priving less than seven years imprisonment;
(ii) Convics with imprisonment of less than seven years ;
(iii) Under-trial prisoners of offences not falling within prohibitory clause ;
(iv) Under-tial prisoners of offences providing imprisonment of ten years or above;
(v) Under- trial juventile accused persons;
(vi) Juvenile convics ;
(vii) Under-trial women, and
(viii) Convict women
2. The Superintendent of the Jails shall move such applications of the prisoners (with their concurrence ) undergoing sentence of less than seven years directly to the District & Sessions Judge concerned. Upon receipt of such applications, D&SJ shall entrust the same to the concerned trial court/Duty Judge for appropriate orders. However, the applications of the prisoners undergoing the sentence for the period of more than seven years upto life imprisonment and have also served ar least half part of such sentence will be directly forwared by the Superintendants of Jails to the High Court through the Registrar.
3. In case of acceptance of bail, it will be at the discretion of the learned trial court to release the convict after obtaining bail bonds or on personal surety bonds.
