Pakistan, Oct. 22 -- Taking exception to the prosecution's shifting stance without realising the gravity of that conduct in a case regarding expired drugs, the Supreme Court has ruled that whenever reasonable doubt arises, a suspect should not be deprived of the benefit of bail.

The object of a trial is to make an under-trial suspect answer criminal trial instead of punishing by letting him rot behind bars, regretted Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar in a verdict published on Wednesday.

He was heading a three-member bench that on July 22 heard a criminal appeal filed by Muhammad Akbar, who was originally granted bail by the SC on April 16 in a case registered at Quetta's New Sariab Police Station.

The SC extended the bail granted earlier on ...