RAWALPINDI: Following non-compliance with the directives issued by the Regional Police Officer (RPO) regarding the ‘non-submission of challans’ in cases registered under the anti-terrorism act, the RPO has sent a second reminder, asking the officials to submit interim challans today.

The directives came after a court expressed concern that a large number of reports under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code had not been submitted even though considerable time had lapsed between the FIR and the submission of challans.

As per the law, the police are required to submit complete or incomplete reports within 33 days.

The anti-terrorism court judge had warned that any default on part of the police in the non-submission of the report shall be deemed to be willful disobedience, leading to contempt of court proceedings.

Following the ATC judge intimation on Oct 23, the RPO had also sought reasons from Senior Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Saba Sattar and the DSP Legal for non-submission of challans and directed them to look into the matter and furnish the report as required by the court.

The RPO in a letter to the DPOs and SSP Investigation sought the details of the cases registered — discharged/untraceable — from 2020 to 2024, as well as the reasons for the non-submission of challans of the cases registered under the anti-terrorism act.

Subsequently, SSP Investigation Saba Sattar sent a letter the SP Rawal and SP Potohar and SP Saddar titled “Non submission of Challans” in which the divisional SPs had been asked to implement the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act in their respective divisions from 2020 to 2024, in light of the court order and the RPO letter.

The case number, details of the FIRs registered under the anti-terrorism law, name of police station, status of report under 173 CrPC, and detailed reasons for failure to submit the report have also been sought.

On October 25, the RPO Rawalpindi Babar Sarfraz Alpa sent a reminder to the CPO Rawalpindi and District Police Officers (DPOs) of Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Murree and SSP investigation/DSP legal regarding the non-submission of challans with a revised proforma and directed them to submit their report to his office by October 26.

On Wednesday, the senior police officials were again directed to submit a clearance certificate by today regarding the pending interim challans or reports of the cases registered in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2024