Lahore High Court Confirms Death Sentences for Motorway Gang Rape Convicts

The Lahore High Court delivered a comprehensive ruling on June 3, 2026, upholding death sentences for two individuals convicted in the 2020 Lahore-Sialkot Motorway gang-rape case. The bench of Justices Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Tariq Mahmood Bajwa rejected appeals challenging the convictions and sentences, affirming the prosecution’s evidence as conclusive.

The court emphasized that the acquittal of the victims, a French-Pakistani woman and her children, was supported by strong ocular, medical, and forensic proof. The attacks occurred when the victim’s vehicle ran out of fuel on the motorway, leading to a brutal assault by two masked perpetrators who abducted the victims, subjected them to sexual violence, and stole valuables before escaping.

Forensic investigations involving multiple agencies, including the Crime Investigation Agency and Punjab Forensic Science Agency, established definitive links between the accused and the crime. Despite defense arguments questioning the evidence’s reliability, the court found the prosecution’s case robust, with consistent victim testimony cross-corroborated by scientific data and medical reports.

The trial court had initially sentenced the convicts to death under Section 376(ii) of the Pakistan Penal Code for aggravated rape, along with life imprisonment under anti-kidnapping provisions. The LHC upheld these punishments, rejecting pleas to commute or modify them, stating that any leniency would undermine justice and public safety.

The bench highlighted the societal impact of such crimes, noting how they erode confidence in women’s security on public roads. It concluded that the sentences were proportionate to the gravity of the offense, with no exceptional circumstances justifying lesser penalties. The ruling also dismissed the state’s request to upgrade life sentences to death, affirming the trial court’s discretion.

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