Daily Times

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has acquitted a woman and her co-accused in a murder case due to insufficient evidence. The court overturned the trial court’s verdict, granting the benefit of the doubt to the accused. The decision, led by Justice Shehram Sarwar, highlighted that the prosecution failed to establish its case.

Initially, Muhammad Dilawar and Hina were convicted by a Sargodha trial court for the murder of Hina’s husband, Muhammad Munir. The case was registered on November 16, 2019, under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. In December 2021, the trial court sentenced both to death and imposed compensatory fines to the deceased’s heirs.

Upon appeal, the LHC found that the prosecution did not prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The court noted multiple inconsistencies in the evidence presented, which undermined the case’s reliability. Citing precedents from the Supreme Court, the judges stated that even a single doubt is enough for acquittal.

The murder case began when Muhammad Zaheer, Munir’s brother, reported that his brother married Hina on July 27, 2019, but suspected her of infidelity with Dilawar. Munir warned them about the relationship, but they ignored his objections. After attending a wedding on November 1, 2019, Munir went missing, leading to a search that produced no results.