SC disposes of 52% death sentence appeals since CJP Afridi takes oath

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) made good progress in disposal of death sentence cases under incumbent chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi.

After his taking oath on October 28, 2024, the progress till May 21, 2025, stands at 238 death sentence appeals disposal —roughly over 52 per cent of the 454 cases.

When the CJP took office, 410 death sentence cases were pending, 44 new appeals were instituted, bringing the figure to 454, but swift fixation and disposal cut it down to 216 as of today.

“By comparison, in the same period a year earlier, only 26 such appeals were resolved,” says a press release issued here on Wednesday by Dr Shahid Hussain Kamboyo, Public Relations Officer of the apex court.

It was stated that this turnaround stems from the CJP’s strategic focus on long-pending extendable hours to hear these cases adding that three dedicated benches were constituted which worked for many weeks back to back.

The court will now proceed as next phase to the cases of life-imprisonment appeals, preferential hearing such cases where the convict has already served two-thirds of the sentence — an approach designed to afford prompt relief to deserving appellants while reinforcing public confidence in the even-handed administration of criminal justice.

It was further stated that the SC acknowledges the valuable cooperation of counsel, prosecutors, prison officials, and families whose patience and professionalism resulted in this progress.

“Their combined commitment demonstrates that, with focused and collaborative resolve, the justice system can translate in commendable output,” the press release added.