Muhammad Rafique V. The State,
PCrLJ 2020 688 · Balochistan High Court
This case involved a bus and an oil tanker collision on a highway that killed seven passengers and injured eleven others. The bus driver, Muhammad Rafique, was convicted by the trial court under Pakistan's Penal Code for culpable homicide and causing hurt through rash and negligent driving, and was sentenced to pay compensation (diyat and daman) to the victims and their families, along with imprisonment.
On appeal, the Balochistan High Court overturned the conviction and acquitted Rafique. The court found serious problems with the prosecution's evidence. The only eyewitness contradicted his own earlier statement to police, first saying someone else was driving the tanker, then claiming at trial that he himself was driving it. The court considered this a dishonest improvement that undermined his credibility. The court also noted the investigation appeared to have started before the FIR was even officially registered, which is not legally permitted. Crucially, no mechanical inspection of the bus was conducted and no expert evidence was presented to establish whether the crash was caused by speeding or a mechanical fault. The court emphasized that simply driving at high speed is not itself a crime, the prosecution must specifically prove rash or negligent driving.
Since the prosecution failed to provide solid, convincing evidence of negligence, the court gave the benefit of the doubt to the accused and acquitted him. This case highlights the importance of proper investigative procedure and the need for concrete evidence, not just assumptions, in criminal convictions.
یہ مقدمہ ایک بس اور آئل ٹینکر کے درمیان شاہراہ پر ہونے والے تصادم سے متعلق تھا جس میں سات مسافر ہلاک اور گیارہ زخمی ہو گئے تھے۔ بس ڈرائیور محمد رفیق کو ٹرائل کورٹ نے پاکستان کے تعزیراتِ پاکستان کے تحت غفلت اور لاپروائی سے گاڑی چلا کر قتلِ خطا اور اشخاص کو زخمی کرنے کے جرم میں مجرم قرار دیا تھا اور اسے متاثرین اور ان کے ورثاء کو دیت اور ضمانتاً (دمن) معاوضہ ادا کرنے کے ساتھ ساتھ قید کی سزا بھی سنائی گئی تھی۔
اپیل پر بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ نے یہ سزا کالعدم قرار دیتے ہوئے رفیق کو بری کر دیا۔ عدالت نے استغاثہ کے شواہد میں سنگین خامیاں پائیں۔ واحد عینی شاہد نے پولیس کو دیے گئے اپنے پہلے بیان سے متضاد بات کہی؛ اس نے پہلے کہا تھا کہ ٹینکر کوئی اور شخص چلا رہا تھا، لیکن عدالت میں یہ دعویٰ کیا کہ وہ خود ٹینکر چلا رہا تھا۔ عدالت نے اسے بددیانتی پر مبنی ایک بہتری (بیان میں جان بوجھ کر تبدیلی) قرار د