Sindh High Court upholds life term in child rape case
The ruling dismissed Rizwan's appeal against his 2024 conviction for raping a 10-year-old girl in Karachi.
The Sindh High Court has dismissed an appeal by a man sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 10-year-old girl in Karachi and upheld the trial court's verdict, Express News reported on Tuesday.
Rizwan, the convict, had been found guilty by a trial court in 2024. The case against him was registered at the Kalri police station in 2022, according to the report.
The high court rejected Rizwan's appeal and maintained the life sentence handed down by the trial court. The ruling means the convict remains imprisoned under the original punishment.
Express News said the girl was subjected to rape. The report did not provide the victim's identity or the exact date of the offence beyond the year the FIR was lodged.
The Kalri police station is located in Karachi. The trial court announced its verdict in 2024 after hearing the case, the report stated.
No further details about the appeal proceedings, the bench that heard the case, or the arguments presented were immediately available.
The decision can still be challenged before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, though no such move was announced in the report.
The Sindh High Court is the highest appellate court in the province for criminal cases, and its rulings are binding on trial courts across Sindh.
Child sexual abuse remains a serious concern in Pakistan, and courts have repeatedly upheld convictions in cases involving minors in recent years.
The report was published by Express News, an Urdu-language news outlet, on its website. It did not include a statement from the convict's lawyer or the complainant's family.
The original FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, although the specific charges were not listed in the report.
Tuesday's ruling brings an end to the appeal stage in the Sindh High Court, though the legal process may continue if the convict approaches a higher forum.
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