LAHORE (Dunya News) – The Lahore High Court has ruled that dismissed or acquitted cases could not be mention in police certificate.
LHC’s Justice Tariq Saleem issued the ruling in a detailed verdict on a petition filed by Dr Uzma Hamid, who had been acquitted in a fraud case in 2017.
She had filed a petition requesting the deletion of her case record from the police certificate issued for her overseas visa application.
Justice Tariq Saleem rejected Dr. Hamid’s request to delete the police records of her acquittal. However, the court ordered the police to issue a fresh certificate within ten days, ensuring that it does not reflect the details of the dismissed case.
The court clarified that although police can maintain records of acquitted or dismissed cases, they are prohibited from including such information in official certificates.
The ruling emphasized that under the law, the acquitted individual should be considered as if the case never existed. The court also highlighted that Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees the protection of a citizen's dignity and privacy.
According to the case details, Dr. Uzma Hamid had been charged with fraud in 2016. However, in 2017, a judicial magistrate granted her acquittal. When applying for a police certificate for an overseas study visa, the certificate included information about the dismissed case.
The Lahore High Court has now ensured that such references are omitted from the new certificate.
The court also noted that under the police rules, records of cases can be kept for up to 60 years, and the police cannot be compelled to destroy these records.