Pakistan Case Law
2007 MLD 660

M. AKRAM vs ABDUL MAJEED and anothers

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Citation2007 MLD 660
CourtLahore High Court
Case No.Criminal Miscellaneous No, 6802/CB of 2005
Date2006-02-02
Judge(s)M. Bilal Khan
ResultBail cancelled.
Summary

This petition seeks the cancellation of pre-arrest bail granted to respondents Nos. 1 and 2 by the Sessions Judge, Pakpattan Sharif, in a case registered under sections 302, 324, 337-A(i), 337-A(ii), 148, 149, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code 1860. The core legal question was whether the Sessions Judge exercised judicial discretion correctly in granting pre-arrest bail. The High Court held that the Sessions Judge erred by conducting a mini-trial and drawing definitive conclusions regarding the merits of the case, which is impermissible at the bail stage. The Court observed that the Sessions Judge ignored the medico-legal reports and the prima facie consistency between the FIR and the statements recorded under section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. Consequently, the High Court allowed the petition and recalled the bail order. The key principle laid down is that while considering pre-arrest bail, a court must restrict itself to a tentative assessment of the material on record and avoid making definitive findings that resemble a final judgment, as doing so stifles the prosecution.

Questions settled in this judgment
  • Can a court conduct a mini-trial while deciding an application for pre-arrest bail?
  • Is it permissible for a court to make definitive findings on the merits of a case during the bail stage?
  • Does the grant of pre-arrest bail based on an improper assessment of medico-legal evidence warrant cancellation?
Laws & provisions referred
  • Section 302, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 324, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 337-A(i), Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 337-A(ii), Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 148, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 149, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 109, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
  • Section 161, Code of Criminal Procedure 1898
pre-arrest bailbail cancellationtentative assessmentmini-trialjudicial discretioncriminal procedure

ORDER

' M. BILAL KHAN, J.---The petitioner, namely, Muhammad Akram, who is complainant of case F.I.R.

No,139, dated 23-3-2005, registered at Police Station Saddar Pakpattan Sharif for offences under sections 302, 324, 337-A(i), 337-A(ii), 148, 149 read with section 109, P.P.C., by filing the instant petition seeks cancellation of to Abdul Majeed son of Muhammad Ishaq and Abdullah alias Asadullah (respondents Nos. 1 and 2) by the learned Sessions Judge; Pakpattan Sharif vide order, dated 13-9-2005.

2. The case of the prosecution as it unfolded in the F.I.R. According to the petitioner, was that on the fateful, day, i,e, 29-3-2005, about 8.00 a.m., he along with Khizar Hayat and Abdul Rauf went towards his plot and on reaching there, Jahangir, armed with .12 bore gun, Abdul Rehman, armed with revolver .32 bore, Abdullah (respondent No,2), armed with Sota, Abdul Majeed (respondent No,1), armed with .12 bore double barreled gun, who were already present there, exhorted a Lalkara as to how did they come to the plot, whereupon the complainant replied that it belonged to him; thereafter, Abdul Rehman started hurling abuses and caught hold of him by his collar; when Khizar Hayat and Abdul Rauf went forward to rescue him, Abdul Majeed (respondent) delivered a blow with butt of his gun; on hearing hue and cry, Muhammad Anwar son of Mansha, Muhammad Tufail son of Hussain Muhammad, Noor Ahmad son of Akbar and Khalid son of Jehangir were attracted to the scene and witnessed the occurrence within their sight. Abdul Rehman gave a blow with butt of his revolver on the back of his head and thereafter Abdullah caused a Sota blow on his forehead; on the raising of Lalkara by Abdul Rehman that today no Gujar be left alieve and simultaneously Jahangir fired a shot through his gun which hit Khizar Hayat on his chest, who fell on the ground; then Abdullah gave a Sota blow on the right ear of Abdul Rauf, Anwar and others, who were present there and witnessed the' occurrence, beseeched the accused and saved the injured persons.

According to the complainant the incident had taken place on the abetment and instigation of Mushtaq son of Muhammad Ali. Themotive behind the occurrence was that the accused party wanted to take possession of the plot forcibly and the complainant party started keeping a vigil on the said plot, due to which the accused party having grudge attacked the complainant and his companions. Resultantly, the instant F.I.R. Had been recorded.

3. Respondents Nos. 1 and 2 apprehending their imminent arrest at the hands of the police had approached the learned Sessions Judge, Pakpattan Sharif, for grant of pre-arrest bail, who proceeded to allow them the said relief vide order, dated 13-9-2005. It is the said order, which has been assailed through this petition.

4. I have heard the learned counsel for the parties at considerablelength and have also gone through the impugned order. It has been observed that the order passed by the learned Sessions Judge reads more like a judgment after a full-fledged criminal Trial. From the tenor of the order it appears that he had drawn definite conclusions and had travelled beyond the realm of tentative assessm ent of the material available on the record. His observations i.e:-- "So far as the case of Abdul Majeed and Asadullah alias Abdullah is concerned, I hold that the injuries attributed to them firstly does not coincide with the medico-legal reports. Secondly the injuries so shown in the medico-legal reports are declared as of bailable nature. In such like circumstances, the refusal of bail would be an exception because of the fact that an innocent person without any good reasons could not be sent to jail to undergo the agony without any ground reasonable in nature." ' are absolutely uncalled for. Perusal of the medico-legal report of Muhammad Akram injured (petitioner) who had allegedly received injury at the hand of Abdullah (respondent No,2) with a Sota on his head shows that the said injury had been declared to be falling under section 337-A(i), P.P.C. Whereas the medico-legal report of Abdul Rauf shows that he had also received an injury on the left temporal area, which had allegedly been caused by Abdul Majeed (respondent No,1) and prima facie was in consonance with what has been described in the F.I.R. And the statement of Abdul Rauf recorded under section 161, Cr.P.C. The learned Sessions Judge while allowing pre-arrest bail to the respondents completely lost sight of the established principles for the grant of such bail and the guidelines issued by the Superior Courts from time to time. The grant of pre-arrest bail to the respondents at a stage when the same had been granted amounted to stifling the prosecution case which was neither permissible nor desirable.

5. Resultantly, this petition is allowed and the order, dated13-9-2005 passed by the learned Sessions Judge, Pakpatan Sharif, whereby respondents Nos.1 and 2 had been granted bail is hereby recalled.

Bail cancelled.

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