LAHORE — The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday declared FIR No. 42/24 against former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as legally unsustainable and ordered its cancellation.
The decision, delivered by Justice Amjad Rafiq, came in response to a petition challenging the registration of the FIR, which pertained to the alleged development project “Gujrat to Lakhuwal Old GT Road.” The petitioner argued that the FIR was essentially a continuation of earlier cases and amounted to double jeopardy.
Read More: Elahi exempted from appearance in illegal hiring case
According to the judgment, the first FIR (No. 07 dated March 28, 2023) filed in Lahore and the second FIR (No. 42/24 dated December 28, 2024) filed in Gujranwala involved identical charges of receiving commissions and kick-backs. The court noted that the petitioner had already faced proceedings before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the same allegations.
The court held that offences arising from a single transaction should be consolidated into one FIR. While additional evidence or persons may be added during investigation, splitting charges into separate FIRs without legal basis violates established principles. Justice Rafiq ruled FIR No. 42 as unlawful but allowed that relevant allegations could be incorporated into the existing FIR if deemed appropriate by the Anti-Corruption Establishment.
Read More: LHC grants Parvez Elahi relief, suspends NAB court decision