Law: Constitution of Pakistan 1973

Section: 199

Law: Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898

Section: 160, 161

Tagline

A notice issued under Section 160 Cr.P.C. during an ongoing FIA/NCCIA inquiry is merely a preliminary investigative step and cannot ordinarily be challenged through a constitutional petition; such petitions are premature until a final adverse action is taken.

 Summary

The petitioners challenged repeated blocking of their bank accounts and notices issued by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA)/FIA under Section 160 Cr.P.C., alleging harassment despite having previously been exonerated in certain inquiries. They argued that the authorities had unlawfully initiated repeated (de novo) inquiries regarding genuine business transactions and sought directions to stop the investigations and unblock their accounts.

The respondents submitted that multiple independent inquiries involving different complainants and alleged online financial frauds were pending against the petitioners, and the impugned notices merely required their appearance to record their version during the investigation.