LAHORE: The Lahore High Court acquitted Salman Ahmed Suleman on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, overturning his life sentence in a 2023 murder case after finding serious gaps in the police investigation and prosecution's evidence.
Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq announced the verdict while hearing Suleman's appeal against his conviction in the killing of Nabeel Asghar in Lahore's Misri Shah area. The court also ordered departmental proceedings against the prosecutor concerned and the district public prosecutor over negligence in handling the case.
In its detailed judgment, the court identified inconsistencies in witness statements, delays in medical examinations and failures to collect key evidence, concluding that the prosecution had not established Suleman's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The case dates to Feb. 18, 2023, when Nabeel was allegedly stabbed during a dispute outside a grocery store. His brother, Rohail Asghar, accused Suleman of carrying out the attack. Two other people, Haider Ali and Ali Butt, who reportedly intervened, and Constable Shakeel Ahmed were also injured.
A trial court convicted Suleman on Aug. 29, 2024, sentencing him to life imprisonment and ordering him to pay Rs500,000 in compensation. He also received additional sentences under attempted murder and other relevant provisions before challenging the ruling in the high court.
The LHC noted that although the incident reportedly occurred at about 11:30 a.m., the first information report was registered at 2:25 p.m. The post-mortem examination was conducted about 14 hours after the incident. The court considered these delays weaknesses in the investigation.
It also questioned the complainant's claim that he witnessed the attack. During cross-examination, Rohail acknowledged that he had been inside the grocery store and came outside after hearing a commotion, where he found his brother lying on the ground. He had not seen the stabbing.
The judgment further noted that Constable Shakeel Ahmed underwent a medical examination 12 days after the incident. Investigators also failed to record statements from other potential eyewitnesses or obtain CCTV footage from a nearby store.
The court questioned the absence of an identification parade before a magistrate, noting that the witnesses were not previously acquainted with Suleman and should have been asked to identify him through a formal procedure.
The alleged recovery of the murder weapon also failed to provide conclusive evidence. Although a knife was reportedly recovered at Suleman's identification and found to contain human blood, investigators did not conduct blood grouping or DNA testing to determine whether it belonged to the deceased.
The court also criticized the prosecution for dropping Haider Ali, an injured witness, after declaring his testimony unnecessary.
Referring to Sections 265-A and 493 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the LHC said public prosecutors are responsible for conducting cases before sessions courts. Private lawyers may assist them but cannot take control of the prosecution.
It said allowing an important witness to be dropped on the instructions of a private lawyer was contrary to the legal framework governing criminal proceedings.
The court directed the Prosecutor General Punjab to initiate departmental proceedings against the prosecutor concerned and the district public prosecutor. It also ordered the formulation of comprehensive guidelines to safeguard the independent functioning of public prosecutors across the province.
The judgment reiterated that criminal convictions must rest on credible evidence establishing guilt beyond reasonable doubt. It emphasized that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution and that any reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused as a legal right, not a concession.
