LAHORE – In a major privacy win, Lahore High Court on Saturday imposed limits on the ability of police and other law enforcement agencies to obtain cellphone data of suspects without their consent or court orders.
Justice Ali Baqir Najfi and Justice Amjad Rafiq heard the case while hearing an appeal against the sentence of accused on charge of connections with the militant outfit, and ruled that retrieving phone data without the permission of the accused or the magistrate is against Article 13 of the Constitution.
The two-member bench maintained that such practice opposed Article 13, calling it against the privacy right. He maintained that if the accused does not give consent, the investigators should take it from the magistrate.
Following the landmark ruling, the Lahore High Court acquitted the accused giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Earlier, the accused was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Anti-Terrorism Court for his alleged connection with a banned outfit.
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