Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday disposed of a petition related to an alleged incident at a private college in Lahore, ruling that no evidence of harassment or assault had been found.
A three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum and including Justice Ali Zia Bajwa and Justice Abhar Gul Khan, heard the petition filed by a citizen. Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Director of Cybercrime Hashmat Kamal, SSP Investigation, and Deputy Attorney General Asad Bajwa appeared before the court.
During the proceedings, the deputy attorney general informed the court that the investigation into the alleged incident had been completed. He stated that no girl was subjected to harassment or assault and that false propaganda had been spread on social media. He further submitted that the statements of the girl in question, along with her parents, had been recorded, confirming that no such incident had occurred. ‘The girl had fallen down the stairs and was taken to the hospital due to a back injury,’ he added.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum questioned whether statements from other students or the general public had also been recorded.
In response, the deputy attorney general stated that students who had posted about the incident on social media were questioned, but none confirmed any wrongdoing at the college.
The court was also informed that a woman had allegedly posed as the victim’s mother and recorded a video making false claims. ‘A forensic analysis of the video was conducted, which proved her claims to be baseless. She was arrested after a case was registered against her. During interrogation, she confessed that she had made the video to gain views on social media,’ the deputy attorney general said.
At this, Chief Justice Aalia Neelum remarked that timely action by authorities could have prevented the spread of misinformation.
Despite this, the petitioner’s counsel requested the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the matter.
However, the bench rejected the request, with Chief Justice Aalia Neelum questioning, ‘When no incident took place, what is there to investigate?’ Justice Bajwa further added, ‘Should a commission be formed to investigate assumptions? If there is no victim, why create a commission?’
Following these observations, the court disposed of the petition concerning the private college incident. It directed the petitioner to approach the Chief Secretary of Punjab regarding broader concerns about the alleged harassment of female students in other educational institutions.