In an important decision, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday declared that any mental weakness such as Parkinson could become the legal basis for bail, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
In its 11-page verdict, which has been described as judicial precedent, the high court also ruled that an accused could also be granted bail because of his or her physical weakness.
It said that if jail report confirmed that a prisoner was sick, he or she could be granted bail. “A sick person cannot be kept in police custody unnecessarily,” the LHC said.
The court noted that if justice was of paramount importance, so was humanity.
The court said that any person, who was unable to lead a normal life because of any ailment was ‘infirm’.
It said that a prisoner could not be denied bail merely because he or she was being provided medical treatment inside jail.
The court said that compassion was also one of the bases for bail.
The court granted bail to Doctor Iftikhar, suffering from Parkinson, against surety bond of Rs1 million.
A case had been registered against the doctor at Sabza Zar police station of Lahore in 2024 for injuring the plaintiff.