When Justice Smells of Bias: A Closer Look at PLJ 2024 CrC 79

It’s an open secret now: the "war on drugs" in Pakistan often becomes more of a numbers game than a genuine effort to ensure justice. The recent judgment in PLJ 2024 CrC 79 sheds light on a troubling pattern—where the very law enforcers meant to uphold justice may themselves be crossing the line.

The case in question, Crl. Misc.34710/23, titled Shehzad vs The State, came before Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi of the Lahore High Court. At the heart of the matter was a disturbing but familiar concern: false implication in narcotics cases by lower-ranking police officials—allegedly to show progress in anti-drug crackdowns initiated by their superiors.

The court noted that this practice, sadly, is becoming “a growing phenomenon in our police culture.” People with prior criminal records—easy targets in the eyes of the police—are being booked under fabricated evidence to create a façade of success. This isn't just an ethical lapse; it's a direct hit on the principle of fair trial guaranteed by the Constitution.

In Shehzad’s case, the inexcusable delay in filing the challan (charge sheet) raised red flags. The court observed that such delay was not just bureaucratic sloppiness—it “prima facie stinks of mala fide.” In other words, it smelled of intentional wrongdoing.

The implications are serious. Justice Rizvi, while allowing bail, made it clear: maintaining law and order cannot come at the cost of basic human rights. Expedient, fair, and untainted legal proceedings are the foundation of justice, not manufactured statistics.

This case is a stark reminder that the integrity of our criminal justice system depends not just on laws, but on those who enforce them. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done—with clean hands and clear intentions.