‘Matter of public interest’: CJP forms bench to determine exact span of life sentence

The Supreme Court (SC) ordered on Monday the constitution of a bench to determine the exact length for a life sentence.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa was hearing a petition of convict Haroonul Rashid, who was sentenced to life imprisonment 12 times in 12 different cases of murder.

The CJP said that it is time to correct major misconceptions about life sentences and determine the span of a life sentence, local media reported. The chief justice further said that he has been waiting for a case to decide how long a life imprisonment should last. He added that the determination of a life imprisonment was 'a matter of public interest'.

The SC has issued notices to the attorney general, provincial advocate generals and prosecutor general, and has also ordered the registrar office to fix the matter for hearing in the first week of October.