MUHAMMAD MUBASHIR vs The STATE and 4 others
This criminal revision petition challenges an order passed by the trial court allowing an application filed by an injured prosecution witness (PW) to give up another injured PW, the petitioner, on the grounds of alleged collusion with the accused. The core legal question was whether one prosecution witness possesses the legal authority to move an application to have another prosecution witness given up during trial proceedings. The Lahore High Court held that the impugned order was unsustainable in law. The Court reasoned that while legal heirs of a deceased complainant may prosecute a case, the law does not permit a prosecution witness to unilaterally seek the abandonment of another witness, as such a practice would undermine the prosecution's ability to prove the charge. The Court established the principle that only the legal heirs of a deceased complainant, under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor, have the standing to manage the prosecution of the case, and a witness lacks the legal capacity to renounce or give up another witness.
- Can one prosecution witness legally move an application to have another prosecution witness given up during a trial?
- Does a prosecution witness have the authority to renounce another witness in a criminal case?
- Who has the legal standing to prosecute a case in the event of the death of the original complainant?
- Section 302, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 324, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 148, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
- Section 149, Pakistan Penal Code 1860
ORDER
' MAZHAR IQBAL SIDHU, J.---Petitioner stood as injured eye-witness in a case FIR No. 282 dated 12-5- 2012 under sections 302/324/148/149, P.P.C. Registered at Police Station Agoki District Sialkot on the complaint of Abdul Ghani since departed to heaven.
2. Pithily the arresting facts appertain to the disposal of instant petition are that Saifullah, Manzoor Ahmad, Mubashir and Zafar Iqbal were allegedly caused injuries by the accused namely Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Shahbaz, Muhammad Azam, Kashif Mehmood alias Sain and three unacquainted persons but Saifullah son of Abdul Ghani (complainant) left the transient world to heaven on the way to hospital.
3. Partway trial proceedings complainant Abdul Ghani also kissed the dust.
4. Owing to some circumstances respondent Zafar Iqbal one of the injured PWs moved an application for the renunciation of petitioner (injured PW) as witness on account of his collusion with the accused persons facing trial, the said application was accepted by his giving up.
' Now the instant revision petition.
5. Deferentially it has been argued that in the case a witness cannot be permitted to give up the other witness particularly when both have equalatory position. Reason being that the procedure does not let, otherwise system of criminal administration may be packed. Therefore, the impugned order deserves to be countermanded.
6. Learned Addl: P.O assisted by the learned counsel for the complainant has condescendingly rendered contra arguments defending the impugned order by submitting that vividly the character of the petitioner has become dreary as during the proceedings of bail application of an accused person Muhammad Mubashir (petitioner) had submitted his sworn affidavit against the prosecution version, on account of death of the complainant of the case Zafar Iqbal (respondent No.2) as being an injured eye-witness and also as being a seer to strive to prove his faithfulness in proving the charge against the accused persons by an application duly forwarded by Public Prosecutor concerned, got the petitioner given up in the case and the learned trial court has equitably passed the order, therefore, the instant petition may be dismissed.
7. Heard. File has been gone through.
8. Abdul Ghani the complainant was the crestfallen and hapless father of the deceased Saif Ullah perhaps being deprofendus owing to his assassination, prior to the decision of case died.
Indubitably legal heirs of the deceased can prosecute the case on every stage but law does not permit a witness of the case to get a witness given up except he had the status of legal heirs of the deceased. Certainly Zafar Iqbal respondent/injured PW lacks the same. Such like practice if is allowed then it would remain difficult for the prosecution to prove the charge.
9. It is however, strikingly observed that any of the legal heirs of the deceased can step up to prosecute the case in absence of the complainant in any eventuality under the supervision of learned Public Prosecutor and the learned counsel.
10. For what has been discussed above, the court being not curmudgeon but humbly is of the view that impugned order being not sustainable in the eye of law is ordered to be set-aside by accepting the instant petition.