The Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee has approved the Punjab Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2025, aimed at speeding up the process of filing appeals against acquittals in criminal cases.
According to the text of the bill, the amendment revises Section 417 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which deals with the authority to grant permission for filing appeals against acquittal orders.
Under the approved amendment, the power to authorize appeals against acquittals will be transferred from the provincial government to the Secretary of the Punjab Public Prosecution Department. Following the change, the secretary will be empowered to directly instruct public prosecutors to file appeals against acquittal verdicts.
The bill states that the objective of the amendment is to streamline and expedite the appeal process by eliminating lengthy and complex administrative procedures. It notes that in many cases, delays in obtaining government approval resulted in the expiry of the statutory limitation period, preventing appeals from being filed in court.
After approval by the standing committee, the bill will be presented before the Punjab Assembly for passage and, once approved, will be sent to the Governor of Punjab for assent.
