FCC overturns Sindh High Court order on police reforms

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday overturned a Sindh High Court (SHC) order on police reforms and disciplinary action against police officers, ruling that the high court had exceeded its jurisdiction.

A two-judge bench, led by Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, issued the written judgment, stating that the SHC’s order amounted to taking suo motu notice which is not available to high courts under Article 199 of the Constitution.

The FCC noted that there was no active case pending before the SHc against the specific officers involved, making its intervention in a criminal matter an overstep of its authority.

According to the judgment, police officers Amjad Ahmed Sheikh and Asif Ali had challenged the high court’s ruling.

The Advocate General of Sindh argued that the high court’s directive had relied on police reform guidelines from a 30-year-old Supreme Court decision, whereas the Sindh government has since introduced multiple new laws and modern police reforms.

While setting aside the high court’s decision, the FCC directed that the ongoing internal inquiry against the police officers must be completed strictly in accordance with the law.

The top court emphasised that the overturned high court ruling will have no bearing or influence on the outcome of the independent inquiry.