The petitioners were accused of emerging from a haveli with co-accused and firing at the deceased, who died on the spot. The prosecution's motive theory was a prior enmity: a relative of accused Noor Muhammad had been murdered, and an FIR had been registered against the deceased in that earlier killing. The Lahore High Court had upheld the convictions in 2016.
On 24.09.2026 (hearing 07.08.2026; announcement date taken from the Court's listing as the signature page did not render), the Supreme Court — Mr. Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim authoring, with Mr. Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar and Mr. Justice Shakeel Ahmad — converted Crl.P.No.356-L/2016 into an appeal and allowed it: Mujahid alias Mujahidi and Nadeem alias Deemi were acquitted on benefit of doubt and ordered released forthwith. The connected enhancement petition (417-L/2016, by Badar Zaman) was dismissed as infructuous.
The Court found the prosecution evidence insufficient to sustain the conviction. A motive rooted in old enmity can explain why someone might kill — it cannot prove who did. The leap from 'they had reason' to 'they fired' needs evidence, and the evidence did not make the jump.
Old cases carry old weaknesses: witnesses fade, memories harden into stories, and the record from a decade ago rarely improves with age. Dushmani ka badla adalat me saboot se milta hai, daway se nahi — and here the proof fell short.