Confession
Muhammad Ashraf v. State (2016 SCMR 1617)
The prosecution/police’s suspicion does not replace the need for reliable evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Hashim Qasim v. State; Jehangir Elahi v. Shoaib Ahmed (2017 SCMR 986)
In order for a court to rely on circumstantial evidence in cases involving capital punishment, such evidence must be so interlinked that it constitutes a single unbroken chain and be beyond reproach.
Muhammad Ismail v. State (2017 SCMR 898)
A judicial confession submitted by the accused cannot be used to uphold a conviction, where such confession was retracted during trial and there is no independent evidence corroborating it.
Muhammad Ismail v. The State (2017 SCMR 713)
Where the prosecution fails to prove motive, the death penalty should not be awarded. Confessions obtained without regard to due process are absolutely inadmissible. The Court may consider the particular sociocultural context of the defendant as a relevant mitigating factor.
