Supreme Court acquits murder accused over false witness account

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa set aside high court decision in a murder case and acquitted the accused, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Khosa, in a 2007 murder case of a man Nasrullah in Sargodha, acquitted accused Muhammad Mumtaz, giving him the benefit of doubt, after it was proved that the witness account of the incident was false.

Chief Justice Khosa in his remarks over perjury said that false witnesses are now on the run after the court has initiated action against them. “They should face the law if they are lying in courts,” top judge remarked.

Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said that the situation was worsened after Justice Munir’s ruling on perjury in 1951. He ruled, “Let the witness speak lie we will differentiate between falsehood and truth.”

“Neither Islam nor the law permits speaking lie, how the court could allow falsehood,” Justice Khosa questioned. Several people suffer misery due to false witnesses, he further said.

Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin, another member of the bench, said that the holy Quran teaches don’t add lie to the truth.

“Be a truthful witness for Allah even it goes against your relatives,” the chief justice said. “But the people tell lies in the name of Allah,” Justice Khosa remarked.