N.A. BILL NO. 14 OF 2003
ANTI-TERRORISM (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2003
A Bill further to amend the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997
[Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part-III, 12th November, 2003]
WHEREAS it is expedient further to amend the anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997), for the purposes hereinafter appearing;
1. Short title and commencement.—
(1) This act may be called the Anti-Terrorism (amendment) Act, 2003.
(2) It shall come in to force at once.
2. Amendment of Section 25, Act XXVII of 1997.—In the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, in Section 25, after sub-section (4), the following new sub-sections shall be inserted, namely:–
“(4A) Any person who is a victim or legal heir of a victim and is aggrieved by the order of acquittal passed by an anti-terrorism court, may within thirty days, file an appeal in a High court against such order.
(4B) If an order of acquittal is passed by an Anti-terrorism court in any case instituted upon complaint and the High court, on an application made to it by the complainant in this behalf, grants special leave to appeal from the order of acquittal, the complainant may within thirty days present such an appeal to the High Court.”
STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASON
The Bill seeks to amend section 25 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997) to provide a right of appeal to a complainant against the orders passed by the Special Courts as it is a fundamental right and the citizens cannot be deprived of such right.
