A Lahore-based local court has extended an apology to a cigarette and paan shop owner who ended up spending six years in prison waiting to have his appeal granted against a five-day imprisonment ordered under the ‘Ehtram-e-Ramazan Ordinance’.
The paan vendor, Jamshed Iqbal, was imprisoned for 5 days in 2013 by a special magistrate for selling paan and other items during the fasting hours. This violated the said ordinance and led to the punishment.
ALSO READ
PTI Govt’s Task Force Devises Policy for Civil Laws Reform
Iqbal appealed against the verdict immediately, and the appeal process took six years to complete during which the individual had to remain in jail for no reason. In his verdict, additional judge Amir Habib wrote, “The court apologizes for the delay in justice and the wrong judgment that led to imprisonment.”
He remarked, “The magistrate wasted six years of an innocent person and these six years cannot be given back to him.”
The verdict also notes that the five-day sentence was not in line with the law.
The sessions court released the accused while apologizing to him.
Via: Express Tribune