LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) - The Lahore High Court has acquitted Taj Din, who was serving a life sentence in a 41-year-old double murder case, and set aside the trial court’s verdict.
A two-member bench? (Correction: a single bench) of the Lahore High Court, headed by Justice Amjad Rafiq, accepted Taj Din’s appeal and issued a 14-page written judgment, which is being described as an important judicial precedent.
Justice Amjad Rafiq observed that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations against the accused and could not effectively present medical evidence before the court.
According to the judgment, a murder case was registered against Taj Din on October 28, 1985, in Rahim Yar Khan District over the killing of two people, Riazuddin and Akhtar Ali. The trial court convicted him in 2017 and sentenced him to life imprisonment, after which he filed an appeal before the Lahore High Court in 2018.
The court noted that the absence of the medical officer during proceedings weakened the prosecution’s case. The written order stated that significant contradictions existed in witness statements, while their presence at the crime scene and the prosecution’s version of events were also found doubtful.
The Lahore High Court highlighted flaws in the police investigation and evidence, ruling that the prosecution’s entire case was surrounded by reasonable doubts.
The court reiterated that no accused person can be convicted merely on the basis of suspicion and that the benefit of doubt is a legal right of the accused. It added that a conviction can only be upheld when supported by strong and undeniable evidence.
The High Court cancelled Taj Din’s life sentence and ordered his immediate release, directing jail authorities to free him if he was not wanted in any other case.