No one can interfere in or comment on judicial proceedings: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Friday questioned the interviews conducted by the media representatives with regard to the pending criminal cases and held that no one could interfere in a fair trial and no one in the world could comment on the judicial proceedings.

This observation from the top court came during the hearing of an appeal in a murder case by a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Athar Minallah.

The counsel for the accused told the court that when the case was pending trial, a media representative in his story declared the accused guilty of murder in light of his investigation.

Justice Athar, however, questioned the importance of the media person’s interview in a criminal case and remarked that no one could interfere in a fair trial of criminal proceedings.

He further remarked that no one in the world could comment on the judicial proceedings.

“If the accused is on remand, even the court cannot intervene,” Justice Minallah added.

Justice Irfan Saadat Khan asked if now the executions will take place on the basis of interviews of media persons.

Justice Athar remarked that evidence was collected in a criminal case and no one could intervene except the investigating officer.

Later, the court issued notices to the attorney general, advocate general Punjab and the prosecutor general and adjourned the hearing until January 27.

The accused Shahid Ali was sentenced to death by the trial court for killing a child, Wasim Akram, in Karachi. The accused confessed to the crime in a media interview, but later on denied his statement before the magistrate. The accused was sentenced to death by the trial court after relying on the media interview. The Sindh High Court also upheld the decision of the trial court, against which the accused filed the appeal with the Supreme Court.