LAHORE - Introducing law reforms, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) on Saturday approved an amendment in Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to restrict police/law enforcers from causing injury or death to a person being arrested if there is no strong threat to life of the officer making the arrest.
The commission also recommended an amendment in the CrPC to make it compulsory for police to inform a person of the grounds of his/her arrest.
The commission recommended these amendments at its meeting on Saturday at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.
The proposed amendments in Section 46 of CrPC, 1898, with the addition of new sub section (4), say the police officer or any other person making arrest shall not use any means which may cause death of, or grievous bodily injury to, the person being arrested unless there is probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested poses an imminent threat of causing death or grievous bodily injury to the police officer or the person making arrest. The proposed addition of new section, 54-A, in the CrPC says every person, upon arrest, by police officer, shall be informed of the grounds of his arrest.
The commission also approved a law reform proposing addition of the new section 9-A to Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961, and recommended that a parent who is unable to maintain himself shall be entitled to claim maintenance from his children.
It further proposed amendments to sections 91 and 92 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and recommended that suits in respect of public nuisance and public charities may be brought by two or more persons with the leave of the court in addition to being brought by respective advocate generals.
The commission also recommended that interim compensation may be allowed in suits under Fatal Accident Act, 1855 for the benefit of legal heirs of the deceased and cases under the said law shall be decided within six months.
Besides members of the commission, National Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Ms Khawar Mumtaz and senior advocate Abid Hassan Minto also attended the meeting.