President Arif Alvi signs PECA Amendment Bill

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 22 February 2022

President Arif Alvi has signed the PECA Amendment Bill, which includes stricter penalties for identity-related crimes. The bill aims to expedite the judicial process for these cases.

Summary

ISLAMABAD - President Dr. Arif Alvi has signed the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Amendment Bill.

The PECA Amendment Act includes the definition of a person, a company, an association, an institution or an authority. At the same time, the amendment bill increases the imprisonment for attacking the identity of any person from three years to five.

As per the bill, the aggrieved party, the representative or guardian of the complainant, has been declared a felony and the offense is non-bailable.

The amendment bill further states that the trial court will decide the case within six months and submit the case details to the high court every month.

“The court shall submit a monthly progress report of any pending trial to the concerned high court and shall give reasons for the inability of the court to expeditiously conclude the trial,” says the ordinance.

It states that federal and provincial governments and officials will be asked to remove obstacles. The chief justice of each high court will nominate a judge and officers for these cases.

Photo: Twitter (@Arif Alvi)