Key Takeaways
- Supreme Court expresses strong displeasure over delayed FIR registrations in Sindh.
- Court orders report on all murder cases from Jan 1, 2025, to date.
- Judgment warns of potential contempt proceedings for future delays.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has expressed strong displeasure over delays in the registration of first information reports (FIRs) in Sindh, cautioning police officials that they could face contempt proceedings over any future delays.
In a seven-page judgment, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar of the two-judge bench observed that despite earlier directions and even after the Sindh inspector general had appeared before the court, the practice of delayed registration of FIRs showed no sign of improvement.
The court cited the Muhammad Bux judgment, which held that the criminal justice system had evolved and that time was of the essence in the investigation of criminal matters. It further observed that delays could result in the loss or deterioration of forensic evidence, ultimately prejudicing the merits of a case.
Justice Panhwar ordered the Sindh prosecutor general to furnish a report on all murder cases from Jan 1, 2025, to date, setting out the time of occurrence against the time of reporting and identifying cases in which the FIR was registered after 24 hours. The report will be submitted within two months for perusal in the court’s chambers.
The judgment also directed the SC registrar to ensure that the Muhammad Bux judgment was translated into Sindhi for the understanding of the general public in Sindh and uploaded to the court’s website.
In the present case, the FIR carried the expression ‘faryaadi’, which the apex court in the Muhammad Bux judgment had also expressly discouraged since it depicted a colonial mindset. The term ‘faryaadi’, used in police proceedings in Sindh, originated from the Persian word ‘faryad’, meaning cry, help or lamentation, as noted in the judgment.
The court’s directive is part of a broader effort to ensure the prompt registration of FIRs and to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system in Sindh. The judgment serves as a reminder to police officials of their duty to register FIRs without delay once informed about an incident.
The court’s cautionary tone is evident in the statement: 'Let it be assured that any further defiance of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Muhammad Bux, from this date onwards, may invite contempt proceedings against the inspectors general of police, the superintendents of police (investigation) and the concerned sub-divisional police officers.'
