ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed regret over the flawed investigations and prosecutions in a high-profile case, which it said had caused suffering to both the accused and the victims’ families and left the crime unaccounted for.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, leading a five-judge Shariat Appellate Bench, noted that better work by investigators and prosecutors could have avoided the “travesty.” The bench, including Justices Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Shahid Bilal Hassan, Dr. Mohammad Khalid Masud, and Dr. Qibla Ayaz, reviewed an appeal by Imran aka Mani challenging a Federal Shariat Court (FSC) order upholding a 2004 trial court conviction.
The verdict criticized the delay of six years in deciding the appeal, highlighting the Supreme Court’s duty to provide expeditious justice. The CJP emphasized that the court must be accessible for criminal cases and suggested that judges should be available even during summer vacations.
Imran was initially convicted and sentenced to death for the murders of Mohammad Siddique and Ghulam Sakina and was also sentenced for zina under the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979. The conviction included a monetary compensation order and imprisonment in case of default.
The Shariat Appellate Bench regretted that no evidence was recovered to substantiate the zina allegations and found the prosecution’s case riddled with lacunae and contradictions. It questioned the plausibility of the allegations and the conduct of the accused.
The court’s judgment criticized the lack of professionalism in the investigation and prosecution, noting the failure to meet the standard of proof required for conviction. Consequently, the Supreme Court overturned the trial court’s judgment, acquitting Imran of all charges related to the case and ordering his immediate release if not held on other grounds.
