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ISLAMABAD, Jan 13 (APP):The Supreme Court of Pakistan has granted bail to a woman arrested on charges of murdering her four-year-old stepson, observing that in such cases “half the case is ruined by the complainant and the other half by the police.”
A three-member bench headed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and comprising Justice Mussarat Hilali and Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, heard the case on Tuesday.
During proceedings, the counsel for the accused, Zulfiqar Bhutta, argued that there was neither an eyewitness nor any concrete evidence linking the woman to the alleged murder. He informed the court that the accused had given birth to a child while in custody, and that the deceased child had been suffering from asthma.
The complainant’s counsel, however, told the bench that the complainant had left the child at home in good health, but upon his return from school, he found the child’s body inside the house. He alleged that the accused, who is the complainant’s second wife, killed the child by giving him a poisonous substance and strangling him due to a domestic dispute.
Justice Mussarat Hilali noted that the medical report indicated the child’s death was not natural. Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan questioned how it could be established that the child was killed by the mother, adding that in cases of this nature, both the complainant and the police often weaken the case.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court approved bail for the accused. It may be noted that the case had been registered against the woman on May 26 at Nankana Sahib Police Station.