Legal practitioners across the country have welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision for courts to sit and deal with issues affecting personal liberty on weekends and holidays.
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The rule by the Supreme Court brings to an end the age-long practice where persons arrested are kept beyond 48 hours because weekends and holidays are not counted as part of the maximum 48 hours detention period.
Announcing the new rule, outgoing Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo said 48 hours means 48 hours.
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Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, in September 2016 dragged the Attorney-General to the Apex court and demanded a declaration that portions of the Holidays Act that bars the courts from dealing with cases that affect personal liberty are unconstitutional.
Speaking on the new rule by the Supreme Court in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem on Thursday, Mr Kpedu thanked Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo and the other six Supreme Court Justices for the new decision.
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“We thank the Chief Justice and the other Justices of the Supreme Court for doing this,” he said.
According to him, the Supreme Court has ordered that the Chief Justice-designate Justice Anin-Yeboah, must within six months provide each Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly with the required number of courts as may be needed to sit on weekends and holidays to deal with cases affecting personal liberty.
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He further said the court has also ordered for sensitisation of police prosecutors and investigators on the new law by the Inspector-General of Police.
And same should be done for Judges and Magistrates by the Director of the Judicial Training Institute.
