LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the district & sessions judge Layyah to initiate action against a man for giving a ‘false testimony’ in a gang-rape case.

Justice Asjad Javed Ghural was hearing an appeal of a convict in the gang-rape case when it transpired that testimony of one of the prosecution witnesses, namely Muhammad Sharif, had been found false.

The judge observed that the people guilty of false witnesses in courts did not deserve any leniency. The judge directed the sessions judge of Layyah to initiate action against the prosecution witness for giving false testimony under perjury charges and submit a compliance report.

A trial court of Layyah had handed down 25 years imprisonment to Mudassar Manzoor, the convict.

The appellant pleaded that the trial court had announced the guilty verdict contrary to the facts of the case and on the basis of false testimonies presented by the complainant woman. He stated that the trial court had acquitted other suspects but convicted him without any cogent evidence against him.

Hearing a murder appeal during February last, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khan Khosa had taken exception to false statements in the courts. He had observed that the false witnesses would soon be behind the bars and the entire system would be back on the right track as soon as a couple of perjurers were sent to jail for life.

The chief justice had also stated that the judges handing down sentences on the basis of false testimonies should also be held accountable.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2019