Top court accepts stab victim's appeal against suspect's acquittal

ISLAMABAD: A two-judge bench led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Wednesday began hearing an appeal filed by a stab victim challenging a ruling of Lahore High Court (LHC), which paved the way for her suspected attacker’s acquittal.

On May 3, 2016 Khadija Siddiqui, a student at a private law college, was attacked by her class fellow Shah Hussain with a knife near Shimla Hills where she had gone along with a family driver to pick her younger sister from school.

Earlier this month, Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem of the LHC exonerated the suspect of all charges after accepting his appeal against his conviction by a sessions court in March.

On July 29, 2017, Judicial magistrate Mubashir Awan awarded a seven-year jail term to the accused after finding him guilty of stabbing the victim. However, an appellate court in March this year reduced the jail term from seven to five years.

During the hearing of the case today, the bench directed Hussain to furnish a surety bond of Rs100,000 and fixed the appeal for hearing after summer vacations.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had also taken a suo motu notice of the suspected knife attacker’s acquittal.

The accused’s father, believed to be an influential lawyer, moved a resolution to the Lahore High Court Bar Association, demanding that the country’s top court make rules on suo motu powers.

He said that there was no need to take a suo motu notice in this case as the victim had already announced to approach the top court for legal remedy.

At the previous hearing, the chief justice reprimanded the lawyer, asking how did he spearhead a campaign against the Supreme Court.

He further questioned if members of the legal fraternity would have adopted such behavior, had this incident befallen the daughter of a lawyer.

The bench was informed that the victim girl had already filed an appeal against the suspect’s acquittal in the apex court.

The CJP, therefore, disposed of suo motu case and fixed the appeal before a bench led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa to hear and decide it.