ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on interior Friday unanimously passed Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2021, introduced by Senator Irfan Siddiqui.
A meeting of the Senate Standing committee on interior was held under the chairmanship of Senator Mohsin Aziz. Besides the committee members, Federal Minister of Interior, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, senior officials from the Interior Ministry and district administration participated. Introducing the bill, Senator Irfan Siddiqui told the committee that the exercise of judicial powers by the district administration of Islamabad was in conflict with Article 175 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan. He said that the officers of district administration one day take administrative action against someone, register an FIR, arrest and the next day become a judge by themselves and sit in the court law and acquit, impose a fine and send someone to jail. With the permission of the chairman of the committee, Senator Irfan Siddiqui explained in detail how he was arrested in 2019 under the tenancy law and remanded for 14 days in Adiala Jail.
Irfan Siddiqui further said that judicial powers of administration have been abolished in all four provinces but one hundred and twenty four year old imperialist law is still enforced in Islamabad. Representatives of the Interior Ministry and the district administration said that the government was bringing a big package to change the criminal law. This package will also solve this problem. On this, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that it is not known how long it takes for the government package to become law. If the issue has come up then the constitution should not be violated further. Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said that he has seen the details of the entire package and there is no mention in it of the issue raised by Senator Irfan Siddiqui. An officer of district administration said that the matter was already in the Islamabad court. On which Senator Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Senator Sarfraz Bugti, Senator Fauzia Arshad and Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed were of the view that no court can stop the parliament from legislation. Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that this bill is in the interest of the administration itself which will be able to give its full attention to administrative matters and no one will be able to coerce them into making decisions against anyone by putting pressure on them. Chairman Committee Senator Mohsin Aziz rejected the objections of the administration and the government and sought the opinion of the senators who unanimously approved the bill. After submission of the committee’s report, the Criminal Code 1898 (Amendment) Act will be presented in the Senate for approval. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that the bill was a major step forward in the legal requirement towards the separation of judiciary and the administration.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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