Peshawar:
Peshawar High Court (PHC) has issued messages to the federal government and other relevant authorities seeking a response regarding the registration of a four against a local lawyer in accordance with Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
A bench with two members consisting of justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Abdul Fayyaz heard the case. During the case, Justice Syed Arshad Ali questioned the legal basis for the FIR and noticed: “How can the police register a case under the Peca Act when it falls under the Federal Investigation Agency’s Jurisdiction (FIA)? How can a SHO -submit such a case?”
The petitioner, lawyer Roman Shah, appeared in court. Justice Arshad Ali asked him why FIR had been registered. Shah replied that he was not aware of the specific accusations and only knew it had been filed under Peca.
Justice Abdul Fayyaz noted, “Peca law falls within FIA’s domain. How did Sho Fir recorded?” Justice Arshad Ali also added, “If the case is within FIA’s jurisdiction, Sho has no authority to register such a case.”
The petitioner stated the court that he had already secured a preliminary bail. Assistant Law Attorney told the bench that FIR was based on a social media post made by the petitioner’s account, allegedly targeting a senior official in a security agency.
Justice Arshad Ali questioned the actions of the petition and asked, “Why do you share such content that creates problems?” In response, lawyer Roman Shah refused ownership of the account and said, “This is not my account. Today, fake accounts are created using other people’s photos. I have no knowledge of this post.”
After the hearing, the court issued messages to the federal government and other respondents and instructed them to submit their answers.
