SC to form medical board to examine schizophrenic prisoner

Apex court suspended Imdad Ali's death warrant on October 31

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday decided to form a medical board to examine the condition of schizophrenic prisoner Imdad Ali, two weeks after his death warrant was suspended.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali sought the names of five psychiatrists for the patient's examination.

Justice Jamali observed the court has not denied that Imdad is suffering with schizophrenia and some NGOs are actively working towards halting his execution.



On October 31, the apex court stayed the execution of Imdad Ali, who was scheduled to be hanged on November 2.

In late October, on request of the Punjab government, Vehari sessions court issued a death warrant for the prisoner. The death warrant came days after SC ruled schizophrenia did not fall within its legal definition of mental disorders, clearing the way for the execution.

According to the court, schizophrenia is a mental illness in which a person becomes unable to link thought, emotion and behaviour, leading to the withdrawal from reality and personal relationships.



Ali’s wife, Safia Bano, had filed an application for the hearing of her husband’s case on October 31. “End of justice demand that (the) stay for death execution may kindly be heard on (an) urgent basis on October 31, because if the application is not heard on (the) same day, the petition would become infructuous and the husband of the petitioner would be hanged early in the morning on November 2,” she said in her application.