The Supreme Court of Pakisrtan has adjourned the hearing on Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case until May 19, following mutual agreement from both parties.
The appeal was heard on Tuesday by a three-member bench headed by Justice Hashim Kakar and comprising Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi.
Defence counsel Salman Safdar and prosecution lawyer Shah Khawar were present during the proceedings.
Safdar requested additional time to submit further documents, arguing that they could significantly affect the outcome of the case.
He maintained that Jaffer suffers from mental illness, a defence he claimed had been overlooked by both the trial and high courts.
'No medical board has ever been constituted to evaluate the accused’s mental health,' Safdar told the bench, adding that prior Supreme Court judgments on the matter had also been ignored.
Justice Kakar questioned the justification for an adjournment, noting that both legal teams were in attendance. “In our court, a case is only delayed if the judge or the lawyer dies,” he remarked, criticising the frequency of avoidable delays.
Justice Najafi asked whether the issue of mental illness had been raised during earlier proceedings. When Safdar confirmed it had not been given adequate consideration, Justice Kakar observed that the point could still be argued without requiring a new application.
Prosecutor Shah Khawar opposed the adjournment, but Justice Najafi advised him to respond only after the defence formally submits its application.
The court directed both parties to return fully prepared for the next hearing scheduled for May 19.
Noor, 27, was found murdered with her head detached from her body at Jaffar's residence in Islamabad's upscale Sector F-7/4 on July 20, 2021. A first information report (FIR) was registered later the same day against Zahir Jaffer, who was arrested at the site of the murder.
Read more: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2321549/noor-mukadam-murder-case-a-timeline
In February 2022, a district and sessions judge convicted Jaffer of murdering Mukadam, sentencing him to death along with 25 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000.
His household staff, Iftikhar and Jameel - co-accused in the case - were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, while all other suspects, including Jaffer's parents and TherapyWorks employees, were acquitted.
According to the cause list available on the Supreme Court of Pakistan's website, "the hearing on the appeal against Jaffer's death sentence will be held on May 13."
Justice Hashim Kakar will head a three-member bench, comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, that will hear the case.
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