Rahim Bakhsh v. The State,
PCrLJ 2010 642 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved Rahim Bakhsh, who was booked by police in three separate criminal cases arising from a single incident on 6 November 2006, where he was accused of firing shots and creating panic while allegedly drunk, and of assaulting police officers who tried to arrest him. He was convicted by a magistrate on charges including assaulting a public servant, causing hurt through a rash act, and possessing an unlicensed firearm. His sentences were partly modified on appeal by the Sessions Judge, and he then approached the Balochistan High Court through criminal revision petitions.
The High Court examined the evidence closely and found serious problems with the prosecution's case. It noted that enmity between the accused and the police, especially the local police officer in charge, was admitted on record, suggesting possible bad faith in how the case was built. Witnesses had changed and improved their statements between the initial investigation and the trial. Crucially, the police never sealed the weapons they recovered at the scene, nor sent the firearm to a ballistic expert to confirm it was actually functional. Independent bystanders who were present were never involved as witnesses, and the police failed to produce their daily diary (Roznamcha) entry to prove they had even gone to the scene as claimed.
Given these fundamental lapses, the court ruled the prosecution's case could not be trusted and acquitted the accused entirely. The judgment underscores how sloppy police procedure and unverified evidence can be fatal to a criminal case, protecting individuals from convictions based on unreliable investigations.
یہ مقدمہ رحیم بخش سے متعلق ہے، جس کے خلاف پولیس نے 6 نومبر 2006 کو پیش آنے والے ایک ہی واقعے کی بنیاد پر تین الگ الگ فوجداری مقدمات درج کیے تھے۔ الزام یہ تھا کہ وہ نشے کی حالت میں فائرنگ کر کے خوف و ہراس پھیلا رہا تھا اور جب پولیس اہلکاروں نے اسے گرفتار کرنے کی کوشش کی تو اس نے ان پر حملہ کیا۔ مجسٹریٹ نے اسے سرکاری اہلکار پر حملہ کرنے، غفلت پر مبنی فعل سے ضرر پہنچانے، اور بلا لائسنس اسلحہ رکھنے سمیت دیگر الزامات میں مجرم قرار دیا۔ سیشن جج نے اپیل میں اس کی سزاؤں میں جزوی ترمیم کی، جس کے بعد اس نے فوجداری نظرثانی درخواستوں کے ذریعے بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ سے رجوع کیا۔
ہائی کورٹ نے شواہد کا بغور جائزہ لیا اور استغاثہ کے مقدمے میں سنگین خامیاں پائیں۔ عدالت نے نوٹ کیا کہ ملزم اور پولیس، خصوصاً مقامی پولیس افسر انچارج کے درمیان دشمنی کا اعتراف ریکارڈ پر موجود تھا، جس سے یہ ظاہر ہوتا تھا کہ مقدم