The Supreme Court has acquitted three individuals sentenced to death for the 2014 murder of a Christian couple who were brutally beaten and thrown into a brick kiln furnace in Kot Radha Kishan, Kasur. The court highlighted significant contradictions in the prosecution’s evidence that raised serious doubts about their involvement.
A bench of three justices—Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi, and Shakeel Ahmad—allowed the appeals of Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Riaz, and Mehdi Khan, overturning the rulings of both the trial court and the Lahore High Court. In a related decision, the court dismissed the Punjab government’s challenge against the acquittal of 102 other accused, emphasizing that the prosecution’s case was marred by material inconsistencies and that those acquitted deserved the presumption of innocence.
The Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of the three petitioners unless they were involved in other cases. The detailed verdict, authored by Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, was issued on July 9, 2026.
Describing the incident as one of the most horrifying and brutal crimes, the court noted that the Christian couple was attacked by a mob of approximately 500 to 600 people following allegations that they had desecrated or burned the Holy Quran. However, the trial court had already found no credible evidence to prove the couple committed the alleged offense.
The bench stressed that even if such an act had occurred, it was unlawful for private citizens to take the law into their own hands instead of reporting the matter to authorities and allowing due legal process. The court lamented that two innocent members of the Christian community were killed by a large mob based solely on suspicion.
Further, the court underscored that the Christian minority is an integral part of the nation and that Islamic teachings do not permit such brutal treatment without proper legal proceedings. While condemning the cruelty of the crime, the court emphasized that the severity of the offense could not override the necessity of reliable evidence. It reiterated that the prosecution must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt and that no one should be sentenced to death without dependable proof.
The court found the prosecution’s case riddled with contradictions, especially regarding who dragged the victims to the furnace and threw them inside. The First Information Report (FIR), filed by police officer Muhammad Ali, did not mention Muhammad Irfan, though it named 59 accused persons. While Mehdi Khan was named among seven accused responsible for dragging the victims to the furnace, six of those seven had already been acquitted.
Muhammad Riaz was named in the FIR but was not specifically identified as involved in throwing the victims into the fire. Private witnesses, who were relatives of the victims, later testified differently before the trial court, accusing Muhammad Irfan of the act of throwing the couple into the furnace and naming others for dragging them. However, 10 of the 11 accused said to have dragged the victims had already been acquitted.
Police witnesses’ testimonies also conflicted with those of the private witnesses and the FIR. Police claimed 12 accused dragged and threw the victims into the furnace, while private witnesses attributed the act of throwing the victims into the fire solely to Muhammad Irfan. The court deemed these contradictions substantial, as they related directly to the core question of who committed the murders.
The absence of Muhammad Irfan’s name from the FIR was given particular significance. The court noted that no supplementary statement was ever filed naming him. Relatives of the deceased stated they were present when the FIR was prepared and had provided the names of accused persons, yet they never raised objections about Irfan’s omission to senior police officials. The court found it difficult to reconcile their claim that Irfan alone threw the victims into the furnace with their failure to ensure his name appeared in the FIR.
Most police eyewitnesses, except for one, did not name Irfan in their statements to the trial court, further weakening the prosecution’s case against him.
The court also scrutinized the prosecution’s inability to differentiate the cases of the three petitioners from those acquitted. The trial court had acquitted 93 co-accused and convicted 10 others on various charges. The Lahore High Court later acquitted all 10 but upheld the death sentences of Irfan, Riaz, and Mehdi. The Supreme Court pointed out that the prosecution relied on essentially the same eyewitness evidence for both the petitioners and the acquitted individuals. It held that evidence dismissed against other accused could not be used against the petitioners without independent corroboration.
Notably, no appeals were filed by relatives or legal heirs of the victims against the acquittal of the co-accused. The court reaffirmed that acquittals by competent courts carry a strong presumption of innocence and can only be overturned on exceptional grounds.
The bench also questioned the reliability of private eyewitnesses, noting the improbability that they could have remained at the scene during an attack by such a large mob. These witnesses belonged to the same Christian community as the victims, while police testified that the mob had attacked and injured them. Their statements also changed over time, initially implicating a larger group but later attributing the act of throwing the couple into the furnace solely to Muhammad Irfan. The court found this inconsistency further undermined their credibility.
Another critical point was the lack of burn injuries on the accused. Prosecution witnesses admitted during cross-examination that workers near the furnace typically wore wooden shoes and wet clothes for protection, raising doubts about the physical possibility of the accused having sustained burns if they had committed the crime.
