Mohsin Baig case: IHC issues show-cause notice to FIA official for 'exceeding authority'

ISLAMABAD: Hearing a case relating to a raid on senior media person Mohsin Baig’s residence, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday issued a show-cause notice to an official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)  for "exceeding authority".

While hearing the petition of Baig's wife seeking the quashment of cases, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the FIA will not be allowed to become a “rogue agency”. 

Mohsin Baig was arrested last week on the complaint of Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, who had approached the agency seeking action against the journalist for using "derogatory remarks"  against him in a TV show.

At the outset of today’s hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the director FIA cybercrime wing what undertaking they had given to this court and the Supreme Court? He inquired about the SOPs relating to raids and asked why had they registered a defamation case under criminal law?

“Your job is to serve the people. FIA is exceeding its powers in every case,” observed the judge.

When asked where did the agency get the complaint, the FIA director told the court that minister Murad Saeed had registered a complaint in this regard in Lahore on February 15.

Meanwhile, the judge asked the director to read out the sentence that comes under the character assassination of the minister. At this, the director repeated Baig’s sentence which he had said during the show. In this sentence, Baig referred to a book, he added.

“Whether the page number of the book was mentioned by the Baig?” asked the judge. The official replied, "No, it was not mentioned in the TV programme."

At this, Justice Minallah said that they were issuing a show-cause notice to him for "exceeding authority" in the ongoing case.

The IHC CJ said that the FIA had violated the SOPs and without issuing any notice and conducting an inquiry raided Baig’s house on the complaint of a minister.

If the media person made the remarks during a talk show on TV then Section 21-D of the law does not apply in the case. The court expressed concerns over the continuous misuse of powers by the FIA for a public holder and adjourned the hearing till February 24.

FIA arrests journalist Mohsin Baig on Murad Saeed’s complaint

On February 16, the FIA had apprehended journalist Mohsin Baig from his home on the complaint of Federal Minister Murad Saeed days after he passed “derogatory remarks” about the top-performing minister during a TV show.

The FIA's cybercrime wing had raided the journalist's house in the federal capital and took him into custody.

As per a statement issued by the law enforcement agency, the officials had raided Baig's house in Islamabad’s Sector F8 on the complaint of Murad Saeed. 

The FIA had conducted the raid after obtaining a formal search and seizure warrant from the court, read the statement.

"During the raid, Mohsin Baig and his son and servants directly fired at the FIA team and made two officials hostage," the investigation agency had said.

It had added that Baig was arrested after he ran out of bullets and was taken to Margalla police station.