Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem has stated that the Evidence Act, implemented on January 18, has strengthened the criminal justice system.
Speaking to PSM News, PG Shameem said the previous Evidence Act was implemented in 1976 and consisted of only seven articles in two pages. He said that no amendment was made to the law in the past 46 years and that modern policies on accepting evidence was implemented through court rulings.
Additionally, PG Shameem said authorities have a high burden of evidence in criminal cases but that courts weigh the evidence differently because there were no procedures to be followed. He said that the inconsistency of how courts evaluate the evidence was a challenge. He shared his own experience and said that many criminal cases were concluded because of confessions until the 2008 Constitution emphasised the use of evidence in concluding cases, but that the lack of procedure was an obstacle.
Furthermore, PG Shameem highlighted that the new Evidence Act specifies the procedures to be followed when gathering, submitting, accepting, and evaluating evidence. As such, he said that the criminal justice system has been strengthened and that it will lead to positive results, the most significant of which would be that justice would be rendered in its fullest sense. He added that many challenges in prosecuting criminal cases will be solved with the new procedures. He shared a recent case of death in which a person at the scene was covered with the victim’s blood. He said that the individual had gave his account to the police but later was unable to recollect the incident. He said that the previous Evidence Act would not have allowed the authorities to summon him to court to testify but that the new law would.
Moreover, PG Shameem said that the new Evidence Act upholds the Islamic principle of requiring witnesses to give testimonies. He said that the new law will increase the trust in the criminal justice system by empowering witnesses to testify in court despite intimidation. He added that the new also specifies procedures in presenting electronic evidence.