Supreme Court explains decision to overturn Terrebonne election results

The Supreme Court recently expressed strong disapproval of delays in registering first information reports (FIRs) in Sindh, warning police officials against potential contempt proceedings for future delays. A two-judge bench, consisting of Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar and Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, affirmed the life sentence of a man convicted for a 2012 murder in Sindh's Dadu district, while reviewing the jail petition of Ali Raza Siyal.

The bench lamented the persistent practice of delayed FIR registration in Sindh, despite previous directives. Justice Panhwar pointed out that in this case, the FIR was registered more than three days after the incident, despite the information being provided the same night. The court had previously criticized such delays in the 2026 Muhammad Bux case, emphasizing that time is crucial in criminal investigations and that delays can lead to the loss or deterioration of forensic evidence.

Consequently, the Sindh prosecutor general was ordered to submit a report on all murder cases from January 1, 2025, to the present, detailing the time of occurrence against the time of reporting, and identifying cases where the FIR was registered after 24 hours. The report must be submitted within two months for review in the court's chambers.

The judgment also directed the SC registrar to translate the Muhammad Bux judgment into Sindhi for public understanding in Sindh and upload it to the court's website. The court warned that any further defiance of the judgment may result in contempt proceedings against the inspectors general of police, superintendents of police (investigation), and concerned sub-divisional police officers.

The apex court also cautioned that using the term 'faryaadi' in police proceedings, which originated from the Persian word for cry or lamentation, was inappropriate as it implied a colonial mindset and a subordinate tone. The court further directed the trial court to record a finding on the cause of the delay in FIR filing if apparent from the record, and take appropriate action under the law, treating any deliberate delay as not merely an irregularity but a violation of the mandatory statutory duty of the police.