The Islamabad High Court has delivered a major ruling in favour of citizens seeking police character certificates after being acquitted in criminal cases, directing that references to such cases must not appear on their certificates.
The court instructed the Islamabad Inspector General of Police to establish a procedure for implementing the decision.
The Islamabad High Court observed that citizens should not be required to approach courts to secure a right already guaranteed to them under the law. Justice Ayaz Shaukat issued the ruling in the public interest.
The court declared it unlawful for police to mention an FIR in a character certificate after the individual has been acquitted. It also ruled that acquitted citizens should not be forced to approach the court to have such references removed.
Accepting a citizen’s petition, the court ordered the removal of a reference to an FIR registered at Shalimar Police Station from the petitioner’s character certificate. It observed that there was no legal justification for mentioning an FIR that had ended in final acquittal in a police character certificate.
The court clarified that police may retain such information in their internal records, but it cannot be included in a certificate issued to a citizen, particularly one seeking to travel abroad.
The judgment further stated that an acquitted individual cannot be portrayed as a criminal. Referring to a concluded FIR after acquittal violates Articles 4, 9, 14 and 15 of the Constitution.
The court also found that the police certificate had incorrectly described the petitioner as discharged during investigation, despite the court having subsequently acquitted him. This wording, it observed, undermined the petitioner’s legal status.
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