ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s Sharia Appellate Court has given its verdict in a murder case after 27 years.
The order to release the convicted murderer was issued on the basis of a settlement agreement. Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa also apologized for the delay in the administration of justice. A five-judge Sharia Appellate Bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa heard the appeal of convict Muhammad Akram.
The petitioner’s counsel said that a reconciliation agreement had been reached between the convict and the victim’s family and the convict had already served additional sentences. Muhammad Akram, a resident of Khanewal district, was arrested in the April 13, 1997 murder case.
According to the order, a reconciliation agreement was reached between the convict and the victim’s family in 2018, but adequate assistance was not provided in court. The court ordered the release of the convict.
Speaking to the convict’s lawyer, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa said: “I am sorry for the years your client had to spend in prison.” He noted that in some cases there are decisions favoring acquittals based on settlement agreements, while in other cases there are decisions against acquittals on such grounds.
The president of the court further stated that the principle in this matter will be established in another case.
