The Lahore High Court (LHC) on 24 September 2026 directed Punjab Police to use a uniform, larger font in first information reports (FIRs) across the province. Chief Justice Aalia Neelum gave the direction while hearing a contempt of court petition. Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Abdul Kareem appeared in person and was asked to report on the steps taken. The hearing was adjourned to 29 September.
How a contempt case led to a font order
The font was not the subject of the petition. The petition was filed by Mian Muhammad Jameel against Chung police officials. His counsel told the court that an LHC single bench had suspended a 2021 sessions court order directing registration of a case against him, and that police registered the case anyway. That is the petitioner's allegation. Reports of the hearings do not say the court has ruled on it.
On 23 September, the chief justice asked SP Saddar Muhammad Abdullah, who appeared for the police, to read the document aloud. Dawn reported that he could not read it properly. Dawn, The Express Tribune and 24NewsHD called the document an FIR, and 24NewsHD said the court's written order describes an FIR in a 2021 case presented in extremely small font. APP and The Nation described it as a police report in faint print, so reports differ on which document was placed before the court. The chief justice remarked that the print was illegible, and the court summoned the IGP to appear in person on 24 September with the relevant record. He was also summoned in a separate contempt matter involving the Lahore capital city police officer.
What the court directed on 24 September
According to Dawn, the chief justice said the problem appeared in case after case and observed that fitting three pages of narration onto one would inevitably make the text unreadable. Dawn quoted her as saying: "While police are saving paper, we are losing our eyesight."
The court directed the IGP to ensure FIRs across Punjab are printed in a uniform, larger font. ProPakistani reported that a standard computerised template is to be prepared and circulated to police stations. The IGP told the court that a letter had already been sent to the chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) about increasing the font size. The court sought a detailed report on the steps taken.
Why FIR legibility matters
An FIR records information provided to police about an alleged cognizable offence and becomes a key document in the criminal investigation process. According to Daily Qudrat, the chief justice also asked whether the court was expected to read or decipher such documents.
Reports of the hearings do not cite any law or rule that prescribes a font size for FIRs. Dawn does not report the court naming one, and an APP report says only that the chief justice asked the SP under which rules the font had been prepared.
What remains unresolved
The next hearing is on 29 September, when the IGP's report is due. Several points are not clear from the reports published so far:
- whether the contempt allegation against the Chung police officials has been decided;
- what the standard template will look like and when police stations will begin using it;
- whether a written order records the font direction in formal terms, since the account above is drawn from reports of the hearing.
