Police may no longer list criminal cases in character certificates for people who have been acquitted by a court, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled. Justice Ayyaz Shaukat delivered the judgment while allowing a petition from a citizen. The petitioner had asked for an FIR registered at Shalimar Police Station to be removed from his police character certificate.
Court orders new procedure for Islamabad police
The court directed the Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) to set up a procedure ensuring that FIRs ending in final acquittal are not mentioned in such certificates. It found no legal basis for referring to cases in which people had been finally acquitted, saying such references could unfairly portray acquitted citizens as criminals. Police may keep this information in their internal records, but it cannot appear in certificates issued to citizens, particularly those travelling abroad.
Earlier certificate declared unlawful
The court also declared unlawful the certificate previously issued to the petitioner. It said the document wrongly described him as discharged during investigation, even though the court had given a final decision. The judgment stated that describing an acquitted person as merely discharged undermined their legal status.
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The court further observed that continuing to mention an FIR after final acquittal violated citizens’ constitutional protections under Articles 4, 9, 14 and 15 of the Constitution. It also said citizens should not have to approach courts to obtain rights already guaranteed to them by law.
