Rasool Bakhsh V. The State,
PLD 2019 Balochistan 63 · Balochistan High Court
Rasool Bakhsh was a post office employee accused of embezzling government funds. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against him, and when he could not be found to receive court notices, the trial court declared him a proclaimed offender and convicted him in his absence under Section 31-A of the National Accountability Ordinance, which punishes absconding to avoid legal proceedings.
Years later, after being arrested, Bakhsh challenged this conviction before the Balochistan High Court, arguing he was never properly served notice and had no real chance to defend himself.
The High Court agreed with him. It found that the trial court had not followed the proper legal procedure for declaring someone a proclaimed offender: warrants were not reissued for new dates after failing, they were not affixed at his residence, and no report was obtained from police confirming genuine service attempts. The prosecution also never proved the key requirement of Section 31-A, that the accused deliberately and intentionally avoided being served in order to escape trial.
The court also ruled that since Bakhsh was convicted without his knowledge, the time limit for appealing only began once he actually learned of his conviction, not from the date of the original order. This meant his appeal, filed after his arrest, was not too late.
The High Court set aside his conviction and sentence, holding that mere failed attempts to serve notice are not sufficient grounds to convict someone in absentia. This case underscores that even in accountability cases, basic fair-trial safeguards must be strictly followed.
رسول بخش ڈاک خانے کا ایک ملازم تھا جس پر سرکاری فنڈز میں خرد برد کا الزام تھا۔ قومی احتساب بیورو (نیب) نے اس کے خلاف ریفرنس دائر کیا، اور جب وہ عدالتی نوٹسز وصول کرنے کے لیے نہ مل سکا تو ٹرائل کورٹ نے اسے اشتہاری مجرم قرار دے دیا اور قومی احتساب آرڈیننس کی دفعہ 31-اے کے تحت اس کی غیر موجودگی میں سزا سنا دی، جو قانونی کارروائی سے بچنے کے لیے روپوشی اختیار کرنے کی سزا دیتی ہے۔
برسوں بعد، گرفتاری کے بعد، بخش نے بلوچستان ہائی کورٹ میں اس سزا کو چیلنج کیا، یہ دلیل دیتے ہوئے کہ اسے کبھی باقاعدہ طور پر نوٹس نہیں دیا گیا اور اسے اپنے دفاع کا حقیقی موقع نہیں ملا۔
ہائی کورٹ نے اس کی بات سے اتفاق کیا۔ عدالت نے پایا کہ ٹرائل کورٹ نے کسی شخص کو اشتہاری مجرم قرار دینے کے لیے مقررہ قانونی طریقہ کار پر عمل نہیں کیا تھا: ناکامی کے بعد نئی تاریخوں کے لیے وارنٹ دوبارہ جاری نہیں کیے گئے، انہیں اس کی رہائش گا