Baldia factory fire case: Conviction can't be sustained just on speculation: SC issue written verdict

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has issued its detailed written verdict in the Baldia Town factory tragedy case, which claimed as many as 264 lives, ARY News reported.

The written judgment states that the prosecution failed to prove its allegations, adding that the alternative narrative, which emerged two and a half years after the incident, was unreliable.

” Statements that surfaced so long after the incident cannot be relied upon, and a confession made before the court could not be corroborated by independent evidence,” the verdict noted.

The court highlighted that forensic evidence failed to prove the use of chemical accelerants in the fire.

It further observed that not a single witness out of the 34 produced by the prosecution recorded an incriminating statement against the accused.

Pointing out another major flaw, the written verdict emphasized that the prosecution’s failure to present CCTV footage of the fire severely weakened its case.

The apex court reiterated that a criminal conviction cannot be sustained merely on speculations and generalized accusations, affirming that the benefit of the doubt is a fundamental legal right of the accused.

Owing to these critical evidentiary discrepancies, the Supreme Court set aside the convictions of Abdul Rehman alias Bhola and Muhammad Zubair alias Charya, ordering their release.

Additionally, the top court annulled the previous judgments delivered by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) and the Sindh High Court (SHC).

The bench noted that since the lower courts’ decisions have been declared null and void, the applications seeking to expunge adverse judicial remarks against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have rendered ineffective.

The 39-page detailed judgment was authored by Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad, with Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Shakeel Ahmad concurring.