The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed Punjab Police to introduce a uniform and readable format for computerized First Information Reports (FIRs) across the province.
Chief Justice Aalia Neelum issued the directions while hearing a contempt of court petition involving former Chuhng SHO Rashid Amin Butt. The court raised concerns over the extremely small font being used in FIRs, which made some documents difficult to read.
During the hearing, the chief justice questioned the readability of the FIR presented before the court and remarked that it could not be read properly even with glasses.
The court observed that information that would normally cover three pages was being compressed onto a single page, resulting in an unnecessarily small font. The chief justice also criticized the practice of saving paper at the expense of making official documents difficult to read.
The court directed Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Abdul Karim to ensure that all police stations across the province use a standardized computerized FIR format with an appropriate font size. A uniform template is also to be prepared and circulated among police stations.
The IGP informed the court that Punjab Police had already contacted the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) regarding the issue. He said the technology board had provided assistance and that FIRs could now be enlarged.
Chief Justice Neelum directed that a standard font be fixed for all FIRs and indicated that the changes should be completed within a couple of days.
The Lahore High Court has asked the Punjab IG to submit a report on the steps taken by September 29, when the court will take up the matter again.
