Supreme Court defers murder case hearing

Supreme Court defers murder case hearing

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed strong displeasure over the lack of preparation by the lawyer representing a murder convict who challenged his life imprisonment sentence.

A bench hearing the appeal questioned the defence counsel over his failure to properly prepare arguments on the main issues involved in the case. The court subsequently granted the lawyer additional time to prepare and adjourned the hearing until next week.

During the proceedings, the defence counsel sought the court’s consideration on humanitarian grounds, stating that the convict, Panhyal, was seriously ill and facing severe difficulty in breathing. He told the court that the accused’s condition was critical and that he could die at any time.

Justice Shahid Waheed, however, directed the lawyer to focus on the main case rather than limiting his arguments to the convict’s medical condition. “Argue the main case and we will decide it,” the judge remarked.

Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan also expressed concern over the manner in which the appeal had been prepared. He observed that the lawyer appeared to have focused primarily on securing the convict’s release on bail instead of properly addressing the legal grounds of the appeal.

The judge further pointed out shortcomings in the preparation of the paper books, which contain the relevant documents and records required for the court’s examination of the case.

The remarks reflected the bench’s dissatisfaction with the defence’s overall preparation. The judges made it clear that the court expected the counsel to address the substantive legal and factual questions surrounding the conviction and sentence.

After hearing the submissions, the Supreme Court decided to give the defence counsel an opportunity to prepare the case properly. The bench adjourned the hearing until next week.

The case concerns a murder conviction under which the accused is serving a life sentence. The Supreme Court will resume proceedings after the defence completes its preparation and presents arguments on the merits of the appeal.