CCTV EVIDENCE AND THE LAW: THE EMERGENCE OF THE SILENT WITNESS DOCTRINE IN STATE V. ZAHIR JAFFER

Authors

  • Dr. Usman Hameed, Professor/HoD Department of Criminology, University of Lahore
  • Ali Shahid Lecturer in Law, Grand Asian University, Sialkot

Abstract

The Supreme Court of Pakistan delivered a landmark judgment in the Zahir Jaffer case regarding the admissibility of CCTV footage as primary evidence. This review examines how the Court invoked the so called “silent witness theory” in combination with Articles 164, 73 and 46-A of the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order (QSO), 1984  to advance the view that CCTV footage can speak for itself as a witness and does not need human agency to make it admissible as a direct evidence. It further analyses the Court’s observations on Call Data Records (CDRs), and the broader implications of the Zahir Jaffer judgment for the treatment of digital forensics in criminal trials in general.

Keywords: Silent Witness Theory, Digital Evidence, Primary Evidence, CCTV footage, Photogrammetric Test, Call Data Record, forensic science, establishing identity, DNA.

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Published

2026-05-11

How to Cite

Dr. Usman Hameed, & Ali Shahid. (2026). CCTV EVIDENCE AND THE LAW: THE EMERGENCE OF THE SILENT WITNESS DOCTRINE IN STATE V. ZAHIR JAFFER. Policy Journal of Social Science Review, 4(5), 310–317. Retrieved from https://www.policyjssr.com/index.php/PJSSR/article/view/953

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 5 (2026): Policy Journal of Social Science Review

Section

Articles