Protecting the Right to Reputation After Innocence
In a case emblematic of the intersection between privacy, dignity, and criminal justice reform, Horizon International Legal Experts LLC filed a constitutional petition on behalf of an individual who had been acquitted by a competent court of law, yet continued to suffer reputational damage due to lingering public and institutional records of the criminal case.
Despite the formal acquittal, the client faced repeated denials in employment, visa applications, and financial transactions due to the non-removal of the criminal case from public police and investigation databases, including those accessible to employers and agencies. The stigma remained, effectively punishing the acquitted individual well beyond the courtroom's verdict of innocence.
Our firm argued that:
Under Article 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan, every individual has a right to dignity and protection of their reputation;
The continued availability and circulation of outdated criminal records violates the principles of due process and presumption of innocence post-acquittal;
Pakistan’s criminal justice and investigation systems lack a formal mechanism for clearing records, even when courts declare a person innocent.
We petitioned the High Court to:
Direct the police and FIA to update records and remove the individual's name from any active database or blacklist;
Introduce a judicial record-clearing protocol to be triggered automatically upon acquittal or discharge;
Implement data privacy protections and inform relevant authorities (NADRA, FIA, immigration, etc.) of the acquittal.
The Court admitted the petition and issued notices to law enforcement and government agencies, recognizing the broader public importance of post-acquittal data protection. The case has set the stage for future legislative and judicial developments in record expungement and rehabilitation rights in Pakistan.
