Overview
- A judicial magistrate in Karachi's District East acquitted the female driver in the narcotics case on Friday after finding the prosecution's evidence insufficient to prove the charges.
- The defence told the court that chemical analysis and the blood test showed no methamphetamine and alleged that police samples were tampered with and a blood test report was concealed.
- Police had earlier said on August 31, 2024 that methamphetamine was detected in the driver's blood and urine, a finding that prompted the separate narcotics case.
- The narcotics acquittal is separate from the murder case over the August 19, 2024 Karsaz Road crash, in which a district and sessions court acquitted the driver in October 2024 after the victims' heirs submitted a reconciliation agreement.
- The rulings focus attention on forensic procedures, chain of custody for medico-legal samples, and investigative transparency in high-profile road-crash prosecutions, matters that could prompt reviews of testing and evidence-handling practices.