Supreme Court Cancels Death Sentence Due to Unfair Police and Media Actions
Justice Athar Minallah has written a detailed 25-page decision that cancels a death sentence given by a lower court.
Earlier, the Sindh High Court had approved the death sentence. They based their decision on indirect proof and a confession the accused made on TV while in police custody.
But the Supreme Court of Pakistan said that a confession made while in police custody is not valid unless it is made in front of a magistrate, according to the law.
The court strongly criticized the police officers involved. They had allowed a TV reporter to meet and interview the accused during his time in police custody. That interview was later shown on TV.
The court said this is not the first time such a thing has happened and warned that this kind of behaviour is becoming more common.
It also said that this hurts the rights of both the accused person and the victim’s family.
The court explained that when the media covers criminal cases too much—especially famous ones—it creates media trials. This can harm everyone involved and can’t be undone.
The court added that police may allow media access to show they are working or to calm public anger, but this is not helpful for justice.
The Supreme Court has now sent copies of this decision to important government officials, including the Interior Secretary, the Information Secretary, PEMRA’s Chairman, and the top officials of all provinces.
In the end, the court reminded everyone of a basic rule of justice:
“Every accused person is innocent until proven guilty in a fair trial.”
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