The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday expressed serious concern over Punjab Police’s practice of making videos of suspects in custody and sharing them on social media, warning that such actions could lead to contempt of court charges and disciplinary action.
Justice Ali Zia Bajwa heard a contempt of court petition filed by a citizen, Vishal Shakir, against police officers in Kasur for filming and circulating videos of accused individuals. The court questioned senior officers about the repeated violation of privacy and human rights.
Punjab Prosecutor General Farhad Ali Shah and DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran appeared before the court. Addressing the DIG, the judge said the police should take action against the accused, asking, “Why are such videos being uploaded without any editing? Is it the police’s job to publicly humiliate someone before a trial?”
In response, DIG Kamran apologised to the court, calling it a “serious mistake.” He assured the bench that the Punjab Police has now implemented a new policy: no videos will be posted online without prior approval from the SP concerned.
Justice Bajwa warned that if anyone’s dignity is violated, the officer in charge will be held directly accountable. “If someone is humiliated in custody, it will be written in your service portfolio. What actions did you take to prevent it?” the judge remarked.
The court also pointed out that a similar undertaking had already been submitted six months ago by the inspector general of Punjab Police, yet such incidents continue to happen.
SHO and constables appear in court
The contempt hearing is centred on a specific incident in Kasur, where videos of detained individuals were made viral on social media. The accused SHO and two constables appeared before the court.
SHO Saqlain submitted a written reply, claiming he was not present at the police station during the incident as his father had been hospitalized. He offered an unconditional apology to the court.
The constables involved also addressed the court, stating they wished to hire legal counsel and requested additional time to file their formal response.
Accepting the request, the LHC granted time to the constables and adjourned the hearing till tomorrow (Wednesday), making it clear that such breaches will not be taken lightly in the future.
