The Supreme Court of Pakistan has scheduled the appeal of the convict against his life sentence after he had already served his term and been released from prison.
Justice Athar Minallah remarked that all Chief Justices since 2017 are responsible for the delay in scheduling the appeal.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the case involving convict Usman, whose appeal was as scheduled only after he had served his life sentence in prison.
The prosecutor confirmed that Usman had already completed his sentence and been released. Justice Jamal Mandokhail pointed out that the convict filed his jail petition against the sentence in 2017.
Justice Athar Minallah held the judiciary accountable for the delay, emphasizing that administrative issues in the Supreme Court contributed to the lapse.
He also stated that the President, Governors, and Parliament have the authority to seek reports from the judiciary.
Highlighting the systematic issues, Justice Athar Minallah noted that only 350 are allocated from investigations in criminal cases, underlining the urgent need for reforms in the investigation and criminal justice system.
Justice Shehzad Malik added that while the number of Supreme Court judges has increased, lower courts, including anti-terrorism and special courts, need more judges and infrastructure.
He stressed the shortage of staff and facilities in ordinary courts.
The bench also addressed provincial concerns. Justice Jamal Mundakhail admonished the Deputy Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for bringing politics into the courtroom, reminding him to focus on justice for public cases instead of politicizing issues.
The bench concluded the case by disposing of Usman’s appeal, as he had already served his life sentence for the 2007 murder of Yasin in Sheikhupura.
In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court approved the bail of Aamna Naz, accused of smuggling iPhones. The court overturned the Lahore High Court’s decision, granting her bail against a bond of 200,000 rupees.
The case involved 26 iPhones worth over 7.8 million rupees, recovered from Aamna Naz’s check at Lahore airport.
