The Sindh High Court (SHC) has sought a progress report from the trial court hearing the Mustafa Amir murder case after the victim’s mother approached the court over delays in the proceedings.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Abdul Rehman directed the trial court to submit the case record along with details of the proceedings and reasons for repeated adjournments by the next hearing.
During the hearing, the bench questioned why the trial had made limited progress despite the serious nature of the case.
The court was informed that accused Armaghan was facing several criminal cases and that Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, relating to murder, had been added to the case.
Counsel told the bench that proceedings had faced repeated disruptions, including disputes involving the accused and his parents, the absence of defence lawyers and, at one stage, an expression of no confidence in the trial court.
The SHC observed that if delays were being caused by the accused, the trial court and prosecution should take effective measures to prevent unnecessary adjournments and ensure proceedings continued.
Justice Kalhoro noted that the accused remained in custody and could potentially spend years in prison if the trial continued to face prolonged delays.
The petitioner’s counsel urged the court to ensure the case was concluded as quickly as possible, arguing that hearings had largely resulted in new dates being set rather than substantive progress.
The SHC said it would issue appropriate directions to the trial court and prosecution to expedite the proceedings after reviewing the requested progress report.