Delayed justice

Justice delayed may not always amount to justice denied, but it inevitably comes at a cost that no court order can fully repair. More than three decades after a Karachi Transport Corporation (KTC) bus struck and permanently disabled a young pedestrian, a civil court has finally ordered the Sindh government to pay Rs10 million in compensation to the victim. The verdict is significant because it sends a clear message that negligent driving and institutional irresponsibility carry consequences.

The judgment is important because it reinforces the principle of accountability. Reckless driving is frequently dismissed as an unfortunate accident rather than the predictable outcome of negligence. Every year, countless families lose loved ones or see them permanently disabled. Yet meaningful accountability remains rare. Criminal prosecutions are often delayed and civil claims languish for years while victims are left to shoulder the financial and emotional burden alone. A substantial compensation award changes that calculus. It establishes that those responsible cannot simply move on after causing irreversible harm. Financial liability may not restore a lost limb or a lost life, but it does create a deterrent. Equally, it reminds government agencies that they cannot evade responsibility. Yet while the judgment deserves to be welcomed, it is impossible to overlook the extraordinary delay. The accident occurred in 1992. The lawsuit was filed in 1994. The final decision arrived only after the case was transferred following amendments to the Sindh Civil Courts Act, more than three decades later. By then, an entire generation had passed.

Such delays undermine confidence in the justice system and diminish the value of legal remedies. Compensation awarded after 30 years is not the same as compensation awarded when it could have meaningfully supported rehabilitation and treatment.