BAHAWALNAGAR: Punjab police arrested a groom along with his best man during the mehndi function by invoking sections under the Sound Act. The police action drew widespread public outrage, and later the court ruled the police action illegal.
According to the A-Division Police, the wedding party was said to have set up loud music in Basti Saddr Deen, beyond the noise limits. Acting upon this complaint, the Police raided the wedding party late at night and took into custody the groom and best man in their wedding attire.
Residents have criticized the police action, calling it an abuse of authority and “deeply humiliating” for the families involved. Eyewitnesses report that relatives of the groom repeatedly pleaded with officers not to make the arrests, but the officers did not listen.
Sources said the two men then spent the night in police custody. The next morning, on the day of the wedding, the police produced them before Civil Judge and Area Magistrate Rao Zubair on a plea for 14-day judicial remand. The court was shocked to see the groom and his friend appearing before him in marriage attire.
Saleem Mahar, the defense lawyer, said that the police acted out of “malice and a desire for attention” by framing the arrests in the context of the Sound Act.
He noted that playing music during a wedding is not a criminal offense; the law is to prevent speeches or sounds that can potentially create any religious, sectarian, or provincial tension, not cultural ones.
After hearing the case, the magistrate dismissed the police’s plea for remand and ordered the release of both. In his written verdict, the judge mentioned serious defects in procedure, stating that the investigating officer did not record the statement of independent witnesses while the complainant was also the investigating officer.
The court also noticed that there was no mention of loudspeakers, speakers, or objectionable words in the FIR based on which the provisions under the Sound Act could be invoked.
“The purpose of this law is to prevent disturbances that threaten public order, not to target joyous events such as weddings,” the verdict said.
