Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has taken suo motu notice on a press report published on 17th June, 2006 regarding acquittal of accused for undue reasons and has ordered Zafar Iqbal Tarrar, Judicial Magistrate (JM), Islamabad, to submit his comments with reference on the said report before him in his chamber on June 26.
It is mentioned in the press report that one Muhammad Ashraf Arain, resident of Street No 16, I-8/3, Islamabad had lodged a complaint with the Industrial Area Police on June 15, 2005, alleging that his son Usman Ashraf, aged 24, drove out in his car IDM-2747 to a petrol pump to get petrol on 14 June, 2005, but did not come back.
Later, the complainant told the police that Anwarul Haq, son of Additional Sessions Judge Malik Nazir Ahmed, and Qamar Zaman, nephew of a retired Federal Secretary along with his servant Abdus Sattar, had kidnapped Usman along with his car.
The report said that they tied him up with a rope, beat and threw him in a jungle and took away his car. The police had registered a case under sections 381-A, 392, 365,337-J/34 PPC against the accused persons.
According to the report, on 31 May 2006, physical remand of the accused was requested by the Investigating Officer for recovery of the stolen vehicle, but the Magistrate acquitted the accused in spite of sufficient incriminating evidence available on the record on account of 'personal interest, arbitrariness, corruption or influence.