Police extrajudicial killings cannot be justified by a criminal past, according to SHC guidelines.

According to a ruling by the Sindh High Court (SHC), police cannot carry out extrajudicial killings because of a person’s criminal history.

The ruling was made during hearings about Shah Mir’s disappearance and purported death in a police confrontation.

The petitioner’s attorney claims that Shah Mir was arrested and killed in a staged confrontation. The dead was a repeat criminal, according to government attorneys, and the matter had already been brought before the court.

The judge noted that the interaction was suspicious due to the sequence of events. The purported interaction took place on January 17, yet the petition was submitted on January 15.

The court emphasized safeguards against torture and the preservation of human dignity, citing Article 14 of the Constitution.

The ruling made clear that police must bring suspects before the court instead of punishing them themselves. Permitting such behavior would be detrimental to the legal system.

The court ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to handle the case’s investigations in accordance with the Torture and Custodial Death Act.

The FIA has now formally taken over the issue and has 30 days to finish its probe.

Statements from the petitioner and other witnesses must be recorded by investigators, and copies of the results must be forwarded right away to the appropriate authorities.