Daily Times

Atiqa Odho can have a sigh of relief after her liquor case trial is over and she has been declared innocent. But to claim her innocence, she had to face the nine-year long trial in a civil court of Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi Civil Judge, Yasir Chaudry acquitted the Sitara Aur Mehrunisa fame actress of illegally importing two bottles of foreign liquor in her bag while she landed in Karachi from a UK flight. That was the peak time of suo motu driven by then chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He took notice of the reports of the recovery of bottles, her brief arrest and release despite recovery of two bottles of wine from her luggage. It was said that she was released on the intervention of an influential person. Once the court invoked suo moto, the police and Customs officials proceeded against the actress and lodged a complaint with the Airport Police Station. Later, Ms Odho was left to secure an interim bail from the court of Rawalpindi additional district and sessions judge and attend hearing after hearing in the nine-year-long trial. As per data, the case had 174 hearings, and during the period 12 judges were posted/transferred. She had to move the Supreme Court for relief when her acquittal plea was kept pending by the civil court.

Like Ms Odho, hundreds of thousands of such cases have been lingering in courts for decades. The disposal of cases only attracted different top court judges, but a remarkable work was only during the tenure of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa. His focus, however, was only the backlog of superior courts. He made his priority to settle the piles of cases, old and fresh and in this regard, he set up model courts and e-courts. He also prioritized the backlog of cases with the Supreme Judicial Council and cleared scores of cases. He made the quality of justice his priority as well and started a war on false testimony, which is one of the major missteps in the criminal justice system. These actions strengthened the judicial system to some extent. It can be said if judges and law officers fail those who jeopardize the delivery of justice. Similarly, the law of the land should make the lawyers making the mockery of law and courts an example of themselves. *