Court overturns acquittal in minor's rape case

The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court set aside the decision of an additional sessions judge who had acquitted the accused twice in the rape case of a nine-year-old minor student.

Declaring the accused guilty, the court awarded him life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs0.4 million as compensation.

As soon as the sentence was announced, police arrested the accused from the courtroom, handcuffed him, and shifted him to Adiala Jail to serve the sentence.

The case had been registered by Waris Khan Police Station in August 2023. A medical board at Benazir Bhutto General Hospital had confirmed the rape of the nine-year-old student. However, police witnesses had given contradictory statements.

The additional district and sessions judge Rawalpindi had acquitted the accused for the first time in January 2025.

The victim's widowed mother, Nadia, challenged the verdict in the high court, which set aside the acquittal and directed the sessions court to decide the case afresh in accordance with evidence and arguments. Despite this, the sessions judge acquitted the accused, Muhammad Azam, for the second time.

Following the second acquittal, the victim's widowed mother again approached the Rawalpindi Bench of the High Court.

Advocate Ehsan Satti presented the medical board report and the victim's statement before the court. After prolonged arguments, the division bench annulled the acquittal order and directed that the accused be handcuffed in the courtroom.

The high court overturned the acquittal and sentenced the accused, Azam Khan, to life imprisonment along with a Rs0.4 million fine, accepting the appeal filed by the victim's mother. The court observed that cases involving minor girls are highly sensitive and that confirmation of rape by the medical board was strong evidence.

The case was registered by Waris Khan Police in August 2023 after the rape of student Iman Fatima, a resident near a glass factory. The widowed mother, Nadia Bibi, had filed two appeals in the High Court against the acquittals.

The division bench comprised Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Tariq Bajwa.

Speaking after the verdict, the victim's mother said she had been visiting courts for three years and had finally received justice.