Supreme Court judge criticises government for weak, flawed prosecution process

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its dismay over reports pertaining to a huge backlog of cases in courts, saying it is the weakness of the government that has failed to make an effective legislation to plug loopholes in the prosecution process.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Jawad S Khwaja was hearing a case of police highhandedness of Haider Ali from Chakwal. Justice Khawaja said that instead of accepting its incompetence the government blamed the judiciary for all the shortcomings in the current justice system.
"Unless witnesses and challans against the accused are not complete, the accused will keep acquitting from the courts. It's the job of government to provide justice to people but here it [government] wants [judiciary] to do the job of the executive as well," he remarked.
He further remarked that 'if the government cannot do its job, it should give the responsibility to the judiciary'. Justice Khawaja said the government had not given an exemplary punishment to any top police officer, adding the senior police officers have been given a clean chit to harass innocent people without any plausible reason.
Referring to a report submitted by advocate-general Punjab, he said the top government law officer says that 573 police officers are corrupt, of whom 34 belong to Lahore.
"The government cannot hide its incompetence; it's not the job of judiciary to streamline the police of the country and the judiciary must not be blamed for its [executive] own incompetence," he maintained.
The bench categorically directed additional advocate-general and prosecutor general Punjab to tell the government that it must do its job with responsibility and let the court do its own work.
"If there is need to amend Articles 154 and 155, it must go for it and the court will not influence anybody. What happened in Sheikhupura and other parts of the country...a deaf and dumb girl was sexually assaulted and the accused were acquitted," Justice Khwaja lamented.
He further said that a poor man along with his sister is has been called to the police station for the last eight months but the police is not ready to submit the challan. He asked: Is this justice, and why the government is not taking these corrupt and incompetent officers to task?