LAHORE – Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum decided to constitute a full bench for proper investigation of the recent incidents at the educational institutions.
The chief justice made this decision while hearing petition concerning the harassment cases.
The CJ questioned why the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab did not prevent the viral videos. The IG, along with other officials, appeared in court in compliance of the court order.
The Chief Justice asked the IGP, “why wasn’t action taken to stop the videos from going viral? Did you contact any authority to halt this?” To which the IG responded that they had reached out to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The Chief Justice remarked, “Today is the 18th; the videos went viral on the 13th and 14th. It seems you only wake up when the fire has already spread.”
The court expressed dissatisfaction, observing that the IGP’s response showed a delayed reaction. The IGP acknowledged that over 700 accounts were involved in spreading the videos and that the police only have one department to handle cybercrimes.
The Chief Justice pointed out that this was a failure on the part of the authorities, emphasizing that children were allowed to protest on the streets without any intervention. “You need to account for what actions you took on October 14 and 15. Even today, videos are still available on X and TikTok; you did nothing during those two days,” she added.
The Chief Justice observed that despite the documents submitted, no action was taken until October 16, and emphasized that if there was genuine intent, actions could have been taken sooner. The IGP said that preventing data from being uploaded is not straightforward, and that shutting down one account often leads to reposting from another.
In addressing the Advocate General of Punjab, the Chief Justice questioned who would be held responsible if harm happened to the girls who took to the streets.
The Advocate General clarified that on October 12, a post on Instagram claimed a girl was raped at a private college which prompted the immediate investigations.
The IGP mentioned that the police had identified over 700 accounts involved in the incident but insisted that the PTA had the authority to shut them down. The Chief Justice insisted that if there was a will, the situation could have been managed better.
Continuing the discussion, the Advocate General said that the local authorities were collaborating to investigate but acknowledged that no direct evidence had surfaced to confirm the alleged assaults, with rumors suggesting they occurred on October 9 or 10.
The Advocate General also referenced an incident involving a girl who had been treated at Lahore General Hospital on October 2 and later at a private facility, suggesting that the connection to the alleged assault arose from her absence from college.
The Chief Justice remarked that while there is no evidence suggesting a conspiracy, opportunists have exploited the situation.
The LHC resolved to form a full bench to address the recent events and misinformation on social media.
The CJ said that the full bench would hear these cases on Tuesday and ordered the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct inquiries into the matter, summoned the DG to appear in person at the next hearing.
