Obsolete laws relating to banking and other sectors should be removed to bring these to suit the realities of modern needs and aspirations.
This comment came from former Justice Dr Ghous Muhammad while presiding over a seminar on 'Dishonoured Cheques and Remedies under Section(s) 489 F PPC & 20 of Financial Institutions (Recovery) Ordinance, 2001', held under the auspices of Pakistan Institute of Banking Studies on Friday at a local hotel.
The speakers noted that the Provision of 489-F PPC related to dishonoured cheque had become outdated and had lost utility in the present conditions prevailing in the country.
Saalim Saleem Ansari said that Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) had alluded to different cases that proved it was contradictory to the Articles 89 and 264 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
He said that in India, bounced cheques have been declared an offence in law in 1988 and metropolitan magistrates have been given jurisdiction to entertain such cases. A 15 days' prior notice is declared mandatory to lodge a direct Criminal Complaint under the penal code. The offence has also been declared a non-cognisable offence.
If it could be changed in India, it could be changed here as well, Ansari added.