It is extremely concerning that so many prisoners who have been sentenced to death by trial courts are being acquitted by higher courts due to police investigation failures.
When killers of their kin escape the gallows and break free from prisons, the heirs of the slain find themselves in an extremely dangerous situation.
There are numerous examples of this type. However, in the most recent instance, the Lahore High Court acquitted a murder suspect, Akhtar Abbas, on Tuesday after he was found guilty of murdering his sister and sentenced to death by a trial court.
After five years, a two-judge bench of the Lahore High Court comprising Justice Shahram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq acquitted Akhtar Abbas, stating that the medical report contained contradictions and the statements recorded by eyewitnesses contradicted the medical report.
The court vacated the death sentence on the grounds that eyewitnesses were not present, and the trial court had previously acquitted three additional co-accuses in this case.
Amjad Iqbal, the accused’s advocate, appeared before the court. A sessions court acquitted three co-accused: Mudassar, Ansar, and Javed, but sentenced Akhtar Abbas to death.
The accused has been charged with Rukhsana Bibi’s murder by Karana police in Sargodha. After finding accused Abbas guilty of murdering his sister, the sessions court sentenced him to death.
The Punjab deputy prosecutor general objected to the accused’s acquittal plea in court.
