ISLAMABAD: Following discussions with Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court, the federal government established special tribunals to hear cases brought under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016.
Additional district and sessions judges, as well as civil judges East and West, have been granted the ability to conduct Peca law trials in the special courts pursuant to an order issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
When the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) administration was in office in 2016, the National Assembly passed the aforementioned bill. However, it was sharply criticized by a number of social groups who felt that the legislation violated human rights and granted law enforcement forces broad authority.The Act forbade copying or transferring data without the necessary authorization. It also contained rules meant to address hate speech, unsolicited messages, and online criticism of the nation, its courts, its military, and other institutions.
The government proceeded to combat “fake news” by enacting the “Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022” in February 2022, under the administration of then-president Arif Alvi.
On the other hand, the IHC invalidated Section 20 of the ordinance, which dealt with defamation, after receiving a plea from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).
According to sources, chief justices of various high courts would be consulted in the nomination process for judges serving on the newly established special courts.Hasan was turned over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday in connection with a case pertaining to his purported participation in spreading anti-state propaganda. He was detained by Islamabad Police on Monday.
