Court questions police practice of filming suspects; DIG promises stricter oversight
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued a stern warning to the Punjab Police over its practice of filming suspects in custody and sharing the videos on social media, cautioning that such actions could amount to contempt of court and result in disciplinary proceedings.
Justice Ali Zia Bajwa was hearing a contempt petition filed by a citizen, Vishal Shakir, against police officers in Kasur for allegedly recording and disseminating videos of accused individuals. The judge grilled senior officials over repeated violations of privacy and human rights.
Present in court were Punjab Prosecutor General Farhad Ali Shah and DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran. Addressing the DIG, the judge asked, “Is it the police’s role to publicly shame someone before trial? Why are such videos being uploaded without any safeguards?”
DIG Kamran admitted the fault, terming it a “serious mistake,” and issued an apology. He assured the bench that a new protocol has been implemented: no videos of suspects will be posted online without prior approval from the relevant SP.
Justice Bajwa made it clear that any violation of an individual’s dignity while in custody would be taken seriously. “If someone is humiliated, it will be noted in your service record. What measures are you taking to prevent this?” the judge questioned.
He also reminded the police that a similar commitment had been made six months ago by the Inspector General of Punjab Police, yet such incidents continue to occur.
Kasur SHO and Constables Appear in Court
The proceedings stemmed from a recent incident in Kasur, where videos of individuals in custody were circulated widely online. The Station House Officer (SHO) Saqlain and two constables involved appeared before the court.
In his written reply, SHO Saqlain claimed he was not present at the police station at the time of the incident due to his father’s hospitalization. He offered the court an unconditional apology.
The constables informed the bench they intended to hire legal representation and requested more time to file their official responses. The court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing until Wednesday, while making it clear that future violations of custodial dignity would not be tolerated.
