The Supreme Court (SC) has commuted the death sentence of a school sweeper convicted of raping a 10-year-old student.
Announcing life imprisonment for the convict, the apex court upheld a fine of Rs3 lacs along with an additional six-month prison term, and maintained the statutory order to pay Rs1 lac in compensation to the survivor under the Anti-Rape Act.
The written judgment, issued by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, detailed that the assault occurred inside an educational institution in Sheikhupura. Although the forensic laboratory report found no trace of semen, Justice Panhwar clarified that its absence did not invalidate the prosecution’s case.
Furthermore, the court ruled that a three-day delay in registering the FIR [First Information Report] could not give the convict the benefit of the doubt, noting that the school administration deliberately attempted to suppress the matter by administering an injection and medical drip to the victim on-site.
The bench concluded that the administrative silence and delays could not be held against the survivor or her widowed mother, while the convict’s claim of being framed following an altercation at the school gate remained unproven.
Addressing systemic failures, the SC also declared the provision of security for female students both within educational premises and on public roads to be a fundamental constitutional responsibility of the state.
The apex court directed the provincial inspectors general of police (IGPs) and the Islamabad IG to immediately increase police patrols outside schools, colleges and universities to ensure the protection of girls.
Additionally, the court ordered law enforcement agencies to act without delay on any complaints regarding the harassment of women and children. The federal and provincial governments were further instructed to establish modern medico-legal services across the country, structured on the model of the Sindh Medico-Legal Act 2023.
