Criminal Law
Criminal law, fair trial, bail, and procedure.
Case analysis and practical legal writing on criminal trials, bail, appeals, sentencing, fair-trial safeguards, and the Code of Criminal Procedure.
20 articles in Criminal Law
01Legal News · Criminal Law · Constitutional Law · Legal CommentaryPunishment Without Learning: Why Pakistan Must Interview Convicted Child-Sex OffendersPakistan should interview convicted child-sex offenders to identify offence pathways, warning signs and prevention points without weakening punishment.02Constitutional Law · Criminal Law · Legal Commentary · Legal NewsModel Town Tragedy: Najafi Report and State AccountabilityTwelve years after 14 deaths, the Najafi Report, stalled JIT and unfinished trial expose a continuing failure of State accountability in Model Town.03Criminal Law · Evidence · Legal CommentaryAppeal Against Acquittal in Pakistan: The Supreme Court TestA judgment-based guide to double presumption of innocence, the two-view rule, material record errors, and Sections 249-A and 265-K Cr.P.C.04Criminal Law · Evidence · Legal CommentaryAppeal Against Acquittal: Lessons from PLD 2019 SC 261A practical guide to using Khadija Siddiqui v. Shah Hussain to prove material misreading, answer double innocence, and defend an acquittal.05Criminal Law · Constitutional Law · Legal Commentary · Legal NewsInfirmity Is an Independent Ground for Bail under Section 497 Cr.P.C.: Lahore High CourtThe Lahore High Court granted post-arrest bail to a prisoner with Parkinsonism, holding that infirmity is distinct from an ordinary medical-treatment plea.06Criminal Law · Evidence · Legal Commentary · Legal NewsAbdul Razzaq Acquitted: Supreme Court Tests Kidnapping-for-Ransom EvidenceThe Supreme Court acquitted Abdul Razzaq after finding the eyewitness account, unmarked cash, call data, recoveries and confinement evidence unsafe.07Criminal Law · Evidence · Constitutional Law · Legal CommentaryNoor Mukadam Case: Zahir Jaffar Review Dismissed by Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court dismissed Zahir Jaffar's review, maintained the murder death sentence, and explained section 510 Cr.P.C., mental incapacity and fair trial.08Criminal Law · Constitutional Law · Legal Commentary · Legal NewsJalat Khan v. State: Bail under the Foreigners Act and the Section 14A BarThe Supreme Court held that section 14A's bail bar applies to knowing illegal entry under section 14(2), not a tentative section 14(1) overstay case.09Criminal Law · Legal CommentaryQisas and Ta’zir in Murder Cases: The Rule in Zahid Rehman v. The StatePLD 2015 SC 77 holds that Qisas and Ta’zir are mutually exclusive regimes. It confines sections 306–308 and section 311 PPC to Qisas cases and explains why compromise in a Ta’zir case must be approached differently.10Criminal Law · Legal CommentarySuccessive Bail Applications: Supreme Court Clarifies Fresh Grounds and Withdrawal SimpliciterPLD 2014 SC 241 explains when a successive bail or suspension-of-sentence application needs a genuinely fresh ground, why a withdrawal after merits arguments is not a reset, and how prior bail history must be disclosed.11Criminal Law · Evidence · Legal CommentaryBasharat Ali Chaudhry v. Sabir Ali: Secret Recordings, Privacy and Electronic EvidenceThe Supreme Court of Pakistan maintained an acquittal and explained that a clandestine audio or video recording requires lawful procurement, reliable authentication, and respect for privacy before it can be relied upon in a criminal case.12Indian Judgments · Criminal Law · Legal CommentaryWhen Can a Child Accused of Murder Be Tried as an Adult? Supreme Court Clarifies the Legal TestIndia’s Supreme Court explains when a 16-year-old accused of murder may be tried as an adult and how Juvenile Justice Boards must assess the child.13Indian Judgments · Criminal Law · Legal CommentarySamleti Bus Blast: Supreme Court Sets Aside Death Sentence for Denial of Legal RepresentationSupreme Court of India set aside Dr Abdul Hameed’s death sentence and ordered a de novo trial after denial of effective legal representation.14Criminal Law · Legal CommentarySection 561-A CrPC: Quashing After CognizanceIn Aurangzaib Alamgir v. Muhammad Sajid, the Supreme Court held that cognizance alone does not justify dismissing a Section 561-A CrPC petition without examining whether the record discloses abuse of process.15Constitutional Law · Criminal Law · Civil Law · Evidence · Legal CommentarySher Azam v. State: Supreme Court Rejects Chamber Review Without HearingThe Supreme Court held that dismissing a review in chambers without hearing violated Articles 4 and 10-A, with implications for criminal and civil review cases.16Criminal Law · Evidence · Indian Judgments · Legal CommentaryCircumstantial Evidence: Pakistan and India Supreme CourtsCompare 2025 SCMR 1558 with 2025 INSC 793: why Pakistan's Supreme Court acquitted while India's upheld a murder conviction on circumstantial evidence.17Criminal Law · Evidence · Constitutional Law · Legal CommentarySection 249-A Acquittal: Conflicting Supreme Court ViewsA critical comparison of Pakistani judgments on whether an acquittal under Section 249-A or 265-K Cr.P.C. carries a double presumption of innocence.18Constitutional Law · Criminal Law · Legal CommentarySection 17(3) Contempt Hearing Is Mandatory: Supreme CourtIn Hira Rauf, the Supreme Court held that Section 17(3) requires a preliminary hearing before cognizance or framing a contempt charge.19Criminal Law · Evidence · Legal CommentaryPakistan Acid Attack Law: Supreme Court Upholds Life SentenceThe Supreme Court maintained life imprisonment under Section 336-B PPC, ordered Rs1 million compensation, and urged stronger acid control and survivor rehabilitation.20Criminal Law · Evidence · Legal CommentaryWhen a Written Deposition Differs from the Video Record: Supreme Court Clarifies Section 360 Cr.P.C.In Mst. Nayab v. The State, the Supreme Court held that courts must address material differences between video-recorded testimony and the written deposition. The ruling connects Section 360 Cr.P.C. with Article 10-A and explains how the record should be corrected through a judicial memorandum.