Justice Kakar criticises delay culture, urges lawyers to avoid unnecessary adjournments
\n ISLAMABAD
\nThe Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of Zahir Jaffer\u2019s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case until 19 May, following consensus from both parties. A three-member bench, led by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, heard the high-profile case.
\nDefence counsel Salman Safdar and prosecution lawyer Shah Khawar were present in court during the proceedings.Safdar requested a postponement, citing the need to submit additional documents. Justice Kakar, however, expressed displeasure over delays, remarking: \u201cWhy should we grant an adjournment if you\u2019re already present in court?\u201d
\nThe judge further criticised unnecessary delays in the judicial system, saying: \u201cIn our court, a case is only delayed if the judge or a lawyer dies.\u201d He questioned the consequences of overturning a sentence after someone had spent 20 years on death row, asking what a freed convict might think in such a scenario.
\n\u201cOur fault lies in entertaining unnecessary adjournments \u2014 not the system\u2019s,\u201d Justice Kakar remarked sharply. \u201cIf a convicted man appears before us after being acquitted, he may as well throw the file in our face,\u201d he added.
\nDespite the defence counsel\u2019s request, the court maintained that a decision would be made once the application was submitted. Justice Najafi also intervened, advising Khawar to formally respond only after the request had been submitted. The hearing was adjourned until May 19, with instructions to both legal teams to come fully prepared. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Justice Kakar criticises delay culture, urges lawyers to avoid unnecessary adjournments ISLAMABAD The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of Zahir Jaffer\u2019s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case until 19 May, following consensus from both parties. A three-member bench, led by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454450,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-478149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n