Supreme Court upholds life sentence and Rs500,000 compensation in wife murder case

The ruling came as the court dismissed Habib Ullah’s petition challenging his conviction in the killing of Aqeela Bibi.

The case relates to the death of Aqeela Bibi inside the couple’s Karachi home in September 2011.

The court upheld the life sentence under Section 302(b) of the Pakistan Penal Code and also maintained Rs500,000 compensation for the deceased’s legal heirs.

Court highlights domestic violence concerns

The Supreme Court said domestic homicides can be difficult to investigate and prove because they often take place inside private homes.

The bench described such cases involving domestic violence as a “crime of difficult proof”.

The court said the privacy of a matrimonial home should not become a shield that allows an accused person to escape accountability.

The judgment explained that Pakistani law does not automatically presume a husband guilty when his wife dies unnaturally inside their home.

However, where the prosecution establishes circumstances pointing towards the husband, the court may consider his failure to explain facts within his knowledge.

The bench also stressed that the presumption of innocence and other protections available to an accused cannot be ignored.

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Police investigation questioned

The court also raised serious concerns about the police investigation in the wife murder case.

Investigators had reportedly recovered a blood-stained hammer and bedsheet.

However, neither item was produced before the trial court.

The Supreme Court described the failure as a “serious lapse”, noting that weak investigation can make domestic homicides even harder to prove.

The petitioner had also remained absconding for nearly seven years.

The court said investigators must carefully collect, preserve and present evidence in cases involving domestic violence.

Call for gender-sensitive investigations

The Supreme Court directed provincial governments to provide better training to police officers.

The court said officers must learn to recognise and overcome gender and patriarchal biases.

It called for gender-sensitive investigations that properly examine the circumstances surrounding crimes against women.

The bench also stressed that police officers should be held accountable when evidence is mishandled because of negligence or a casual approach.

Details of the case

The judgment was authored by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakkar.

The bench also included Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim.

The court refused leave to appeal and upheld the conviction of Habib Ullah in the killing of Aqeela Bibi.

The court maintained Rs500,000 compensation for her legal heirs.

The ruling said that in a wife murder case, the prosecution still has to establish the basic circumstances connecting the accused to the crime.

At the same time, unexplained facts that are especially within the accused’s knowledge can become an important part of circumstantial evidence.

The judgment reinforces the need for gender-sensitive investigations while protecting the legal rights of accused persons.