[Sindh]
Before Naimatullah Phulpoto and Shamsuddin Abbasi, JJ
ALI HUSSAIN alias RAJU---Appellant
Versus
The STATE---Respondent
Criminal Appeal No. 251 of 2022, decided on 18th January, 2023.
(a) Control of Narcotic Substances Act (XXV of 1997)---
----S. 9(c)---Possession of narcotics---Appreciation of evidence---Safe custody of narcotics---Charas weighing 1650 grams brought to the police station was sent to the Chemical Examiner for analysis through the Investigation Officer, but neither Head Moharir had been examined nor entry of Register No.19 had been produced before the Trial Court---Since safe custody of the charas at Police Station and its transmission through safe hands was not established on the record, the same could not be used against the accused---Prosecution had failed to establish safe custody of the narcotic substance at Police Station and its safe transmission to the expert---Circumstances established that the prosecution had failed to bring home the guilt of accused---Appeal against conviction was allowed, in circumstances.
Qaiser Khan v. The State through Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Peshawar 2021 SCMR 363 ref.
(b) Control of Narcotic Substances Act (XXV of 1997)---
----S. 9(c)---Possession of narcotics---Appreciation of evidence---Contradictions in the prosecution's evidence---Police Officials as witnesses---Enmity with the Police Officials---Record revealed that Mashiras a prosecution witness during his examination replied that there was a slab of charas but in cross-examination he replied that there were 07 pieces of charas---Prosecution had no explanation for such ambiguity---According to the case of prosecution, appellant was arrested at 6:00 a.m. and presence of 2/3 private persons had also come on record--- Non-examination of these private persons was fatal to the case of prosecution, for the reason that appellant in his statement recorded under S. 342, Cr.P.C., had claimed enmity with the police officials---No doubt, evidence of Police Officials was as good as of private persons but when appellant claimed enmity with police the Court would look into independent corroboration, which was lacking in present case---Circumstances established that the prosecution had failed to bring home the guilt of accused---Appeal against conviction was allowed, in circumstances.
(c) Criminal trial---
----Benefit of doubt---For giving the benefit of doubt to an accused it is not necessary that there should be many circumstances creating doubt---If there is a circumstance which creates reasonable doubt in a prudent mind about the guilt of the accused, then the accused would be entitled to the benefit of such doubt, not as a matter of grace and concession, but as matter of right; which is based on the maxim, "it is better that ten guilty persons be acquitted rather than one innocent person be convicted."
Tariq Pervez v. The State 1995 SCMR 1345; Ghulam Qadir and 2 others v. The State 2008 SCMR 1221; Muhammad Akram v. The State 2009 SCMR 230; Muhammad Zaman v. The State 2014 SCMR 749 and Muhammad Mansha v. The State 2018 SCMR 772 ref.
Nemo for Appellant.
Ali Haider Saleem, Additional Prosecutor General Sindh for the
State.
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