The State vs. Abdul Khaliq and Others, PLD 2011 Supreme Court 554 (Pakistan)

The case involved the highly publicized rape committed against Mukhtar Mai by four men, which was sanctioned by the panchayat (village council) as retribution for a trumped-up offense of her younger brother. Mai filed charges against the four men, and another 10 who watched the atrocity. The High Court subsequently acquitted a total of 13 accused and converted the death sentence of the 14th to life imprisonment. Mai argues on appeal that it is erroneous that the delay in lodging a complaint is fatal to the prosecution case. It is likewise erroneous to require corroboration of the testimony of the rape victim. The court held that delay in rape cases is not of much significance since victims are reluctant to go forward to report the crime to the police. On the need for corroboration, the court said that this would depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case and has to be assessed by the Court on the basis of the entire evidence. Moreover, it is incorrect that the testimony of the prosecutrix is uncorroborated as medical evidence the testimony of prosecution witnesses supported her version.