LAHORE: A Lahore sessions court on Tuesday discharged an elderly man named Muhammad Sajid, involved in recently using inappropriate language against the Punjab chief minister in a viral video, in a case dating back to 2024.
A few days ago, a video of Sajid riding a motorcycle in the rain went viral on social media, in which he could be heard using abusive language against the chief minister.
A sessions court on Monday sought a reply from Johar Town police on a habeas corpus petition seeking his recovery. Sajid’s son Muhammad Umar had filed the petition for the recovery of his father.
According to the court order, “No incriminating evidence is present against the accused person to be sent to judicial remand.
“Hence, the request of the investigating officer (IO) has been turned down, the accused person is discharged from the instant case … first information report, and the IO is ordered to release the person forthwith”.
The Lahore court discharged Sajid after he was nominated in a June 2024 case filed by the Green Town police station. Police subsequently released the senior citizen from handcuffs.
Police had arrested the citizen on July 14, according to a request for his judicial remand and presented him in the Model Town court today.
The accused’s counsel, Advocate Noman Sarwar Dogar, argued that his client had been wrongfully nominated in the 2024 FIR by the police.
The court observed in its order that all the facts and circumstances of the case create doubt in the police’s version of events.
In the habeas corpus case, the petitioner, Advocate Sameer Khan Khattak, alleged that Johar Town police had illegally detained his client’s father for the past two days.
He had claimed that Sajid had been arrested without any registered case and had not been produced before any court.
The counsel also stated that the police had forced the petitioner’s father to record apology videos, which were later circulated on social media.
He asked the court to order the recovery and release of the petitioner’s father.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ghulam Farid had issued a notice to the Johar Town station house officer and directed him to file a reply by July 15.
