| Case ID |
16cbe892-7f37-4103-8062-1b66d284ce21 |
| Body |
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| Case Number |
Criminal Appeal No. 104-L of 2017 |
| Decision Date |
May 15, 2019 |
| Hearing Date |
May 15, 2019 |
| Decision |
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of the accused under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code for the intentional murder of Adnan Aslam. The court found the evidence against the accused compelling, with multiple eyewitnesses confirming the events of the murder that occurred within the court premises. The accused's actions were deemed to be premeditated, stemming from a personal vendetta linked to the murder of the accused's brother. However, the conviction under Section 7(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act was set aside as the court concluded that while the act was violent, it did not constitute terrorism as defined by law. The appeal was dismissed accordingly. |
| Summary |
This case revolves around the tragic murder of Adnan Aslam, who was shot while being escorted from court after a hearing related to his own murder trial. The incident occurred on 11.03.2011, when the appellant, Muhammad Bilal, avenged the earlier murder of his brother by killing the deceased in a highly public and secure environment—the court premises. The Supreme Court of Pakistan, in its decision on 15-05-2019, reaffirmed the lower court's ruling that convicted Bilal under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code, imposing a death sentence. The ruling emphasized the importance of eyewitness testimony and the immediate arrest of the accused at the crime scene with the murder weapon. While the court acknowledged the violent nature of the act, it ultimately determined that the motivations did not meet the threshold for terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Act, leading to the modification of the original verdict. This case highlights crucial legal principles surrounding self-defense, premeditated murder, and the definitions of terrorism within Pakistani law. |
| Court |
Supreme Court of Pakistan
|
| Entities Involved |
Not available
|
| Judges |
MANZOOR AHMAD MALIK,
SYED MANSOOR ALI SHAH,
QAZI MUHAMMAD AMIN AHMED,
MUHAMMAD BILAL
|
| Lawyers |
Rai Bashir Ahmad,
Muhammad Irfan Malik
|
| Petitioners |
Rai Bashir Ahmad
|
| Respondents |
THE STATE AND OTHERS
|
| Citations |
2019 SLD 1886,
2019 SCMR 1362
|
| Other Citations |
PLD 2017 SC 661,
PLJ 2017 SC 408
|
| Laws Involved |
Pakistan Penal Code, 1860,
Anti Terrorism Act, 1997
|
| Sections |
302(b),
7(a)
|