Pakistan Case Law
1972 SCMR 331

NUR MUHAMMAD vs THE STATE And 2 Other

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Citation1972 SCMR 331
CourtSupreme Court of Pakistan
Case No.Criminal Petition for Special Leave to Appeal No. 238 of 1971 Criminal
Date1972-07-07
Judge(s)Hamoodur Rahman, C. J., Sajjad Ahmad and Salahuddin Ahmed
Authored bySajjad Ahmad
ResultLeave refused
AI Summary — generated from this judgment; read the full text below and verify before relying on it.

This petition for leave to appeal was filed before the Supreme Court of Pakistan by the petitioner against a judgment of the Division Bench of the Lahore High Court acquitting two respondents of a murder charge. The Supreme Court observed that the petition was barred by time by three days. Considering the issue of limitation in petitions challenging acquittals, the Court held that delay cannot be condoned unless it is demonstrated that the petitioner was prevented from filing the petition within time due to some specific act of the acquitted respondents. Finding that no such act by the acquitted respondents was alleged in the petitioner's application for condonation of delay, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition as barred by time.

Questions settled in this judgment
  • Whether delay in filing a petition against acquittal can be condoned without proving an act of the acquitted respondent that precluded timely filing?
  • Under what circumstances will the Supreme Court condone delay in a petition challenging an acquittal judgment?
condonation of delaylimitationpetition against acquittalmurder casetime-barred petition

1. SAJJAD AHMAD, J.--This petition is directed against the judg--ment of a Division Bench of the Lahore High Court dated the 28th of April 1971, whereby respondents Makhna and Amir were acquitted of the charge of having murdered their co-villager, Khan Muhammad, on the night between the 25th and 26th of August 1968.

2. According to the office note, the petition is barred by three days, which is not disputed by the learned counsel for the petitioner.

3. It has been held by this Court repeatedly that in petitions' against acquittal, delay cannot be condoned unless it is show that the petitioner was precluded from filing his petition in time due to some act of the acquitted respondent. See Muhammad Khan v. Sultan and others (1969 SCMR 82). No such act on the part of the acquitted respondents is alleged in the application for condonation of delay filed by the petitioner. The petition is, therefore, dismissed asp barred by time.

Cited by 12 cases

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