Court acquits Sharjeel Memon in liquor case

KARACHI: After eight years, a judicial magistrate on Tuesday acquitted Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and five others in a case pertaining to the recovery of liquor from his Dr Ziauddin Hospital room. The then chief justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar, had raided the room and allegedly found the liquor. Later, a case was registered at the Boat Basin police station under Section 4 (owning or possessing intoxicant) of the Prevention (enforcement of Hadd) Ordinance 1979 read with Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code. On Tuesday, after hearing and examining the records, Judicial Magist­rate (South) Aasim Aslam acquitted Mr Memon and five others for lack of evidence against them.

In its order, the court observed that the prosecution alleged that the suspected liquor bottles were recovered from the possession of the accused persons. However, the chemical examination report of the recovered bottles does not support the prosecution allegations. Rather, it mentioned that the bottles contain honey and olive oil. “Thus, both the reports being material pieces of evidence have failed to corroborate the prosecution version. It is settled principle of criminal jurisprudence that the prosecution is bound to establish the case beyond the reasonable doubt and the burden of proving the guilt of accused cannot be shifted upon him,” the court observed. It added that mere allegations of the police officials in the absence of reliable and corroborative evidence were insufficient to sustain a conviction particularly when the scientific evidence available on record contradicts the prosecution story. The judge also noted that the prosecution case in these…