LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Sunday came down hard on Advocate Syed Tanvir Hashmi, the father of the key suspect in the Khadija stabbing case, for moving a resolution against him for taking a suo motu notice of the acquittal of his son by the Lahore High Court.
On June 04, Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem of the LHC exonerated Shah Hussain of all charges after accepting his appeal against his conviction by a sessions court in March this year.
On the very next day, the chief justice took a suo motu notice of the acquittal. Afterwards, the accused’s father, believed to be an influential lawyer, moved a resolution to the Lahore High Court Bar Association, demanding that the country’s top court make rules on suo motu powers.
He said that there was no need to take a suo motu notice in this case as the victim had already announced to approach the top court for legal remedy.
During hearing at the apex court’s Lahore registry today, the chief justice reprimanded the lawyer, asking how did he spearhead a campaign against the Supreme Court.
He further questioned if members of the legal fraternity would have adopted such behavior, had this incident befallen the daughter of a lawyer.
The bench was informed that the victim girl had already filed an appeal against the suspect’s acquittal in the apex court.
While winding up the suo motu hearing, the CJP fixed the appeal before a bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa to hear and decide it.
Khadija Siddiqui, a student at a private law college, was attacked by her class fellow Shah Hussain on May 3, 2016 for reportedly rejecting a proposal.
Hussain, son of an influential lawyer Tanver Hashmi and classmate of Khadija, was arrested from the court room last year and handed down a seven-year sentence.
On July 29, 2017, Judicial magistrate Mubashir Awan awarded a seven-year jail term to Shah Hussain after finding him guilty of stabbing the victim. However, an appellate court in March this year had reduced the jail term from seven to five years.DNA
