LAHORE- The Lahore High Court on Saturday turned down a citizen’s plea seeking permission to consume poison, citing concerns over public safety and the illegality of such an act.
Justice Rahil Kamran of the Lahore High Court passed the orders spanning seven pages, in which he emphasized that the request appeared to be a misguided attempt to gain notoriety and was against the public interest.
Justice Kamran observed that according to Section 284 of the Pakistan Penal Code, individuals who employed poison or endanger human lives could potentially face imprisonment of up to three months and a fine. He held that under this provision, the law did not condone actions that put lives at risk or violate legal standards.
The verdict highlighted that Section 336-A made it a criminal offense to endanger human life, and the court could not endorse actions that were both perilous and illegal. The Drug Regulatory Authority’s regulations explicitly prohibited individuals from causing harm to their own lives.
The court also ruled that the petitioner was not suffering from a terminal illness and cited instances in other countries, including India, where individuals with severe and incurable conditions were granted court protection to end their lives.
The written judgment made it clear that the request was rejected due to its lack of merit, as it failed to meet the necessary legal criteria. Granting such permission would exceed the court’s authority.
A Lahore resident, Sardar Taj, hailing from the Mozang area, had approached the court with a request to conduct a public experiment by consuming poison at Lahore’s Mochi Gate.
He had vehemently claimed that he sought no publicity and firmly believed that no harm would come to him, asserting, “I have faith in God; nothing will happen to me. I want to carry out this experiment publicly at Mochi Gate in Lahore, and the court should grant permission,”.
The court had reserved its judgment on the admissibility of the plea on September 12, 2023.
