A five member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmad has declared null and void Islamabad  and Sindh High Courts judgments regarding release of prisoners due to threat of coronavirus spread.

The court in its judgment on Tuesday directed that the released prisoners should again be detained.

It said that the prisoners should be released as per the recommendations of the Attorney General and the law.

The Attorney General had proposed that those involved in minor crimes and those facing less than three years sentence may be considered for release.

The Attorney General had further proposed that the prisoners facing jail due to non-payment of penalty also deserve to be released.    

Zahid