LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday directed the Punjab police to increase the font size used in first information reports (FIRs) across the province.

Chief Justice Aalia Neelum issued the direction during a hearing on an issue arising from a contempt of court petition.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Abdul Kareem appeared before the court on its orders.

The chief justice expressed displeasure over FIRs being printed in small fonts, observing that the documents were difficult to read.

She remarked that the problem was being seen in case after case.

“While police are saving paper, we are losing our eyesight,” the chief justice remarked.

She observed that fitting the narration of three pages onto a single page would obviously make the font unreadable. The CJ directed the IGP to ensure that FIRs across Punjab were printed in a uniform, larger font.

The IGP told the court that a letter had already been sent to the chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board regarding an increase in the font size.

The CJ sought a detailed report from the IGP on the steps taken in this regard and adjourned the hearing until Sept 29.

She also sought a separate report on a contempt of court petition filed by a citizen against the police.

On Wednesday, during hearing of a petition filed by a citizen, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdullah appeared before the court on behalf of the Chung police.

When Justice Neelum asked SP Abdullah to read the FIR aloud, he was unable to properly read or narrate its contents.

“Why is the FIR not readable? I cannot understand what has been written in it,” the chief justice remarked.

She also took a sarcastic jab at the handwriting, observing that it looked like “flies” and quipping: “Even the size of the flies is bigger [than this].”