KUWAIT CITY, May 21: The Criminal Court, presided over by Counselor Mutab Al-Ardi, issued a significant ruling affirming that a vehicle operated by a female may not be subjected to a search in the absence of female police officers. Any search conducted in contravention of this requirement is deemed legally null and void. This decision arose from a case in which law enforcement officers conducted a search of a woman’s vehicle without the presence of a female officer, leading the court to accept the defense presented by Attorney Ayed Al-Rashidi and subsequently acquit the accused of drug possession charges.

The court recognized that, under constitutional protections and legal principles safeguarding personal privacy, a vehicle constitutes an extension of the individual's private sphere. Accordingly, searches of women or their vehicles must be conducted in the presence of female law enforcement personnel. This judgment reinforces the legal standard of procedural propriety in search and seizure operations, particularly in safeguarding the dignity and privacy of women.