The anti-terrorism courts verdict on Tuesday giving exemplary punishment to all the culprits involved in the lynching tragedy in Sialkot should be hailed. The court awarded capital punishment to seven culprits, life imprisonment to six others as well as imprisoned nine police officers including former DPO Sialkot who was thrown behind bars for three years. In a country where the powerful sometimes get away with murder, the impartial judgement shows that our criminal justice system is finally improving. The grandfather of the slain boys expressed satisfaction at the courts orders but made some comments which deserve attention. He said that although he was relieved to get justice, the worrying thing was the deteriorating condition of the society in terms of ethics and morals and questioned why such brutal lynching was allowed to occur in front of a large group of people. In fact, there is a need for soul searching and each one of us must make an effort to arrest this trend of militant mindset and vigilantism that more often than not leads to rampant violence and lawlessness. The bereaved family particularly thanked the media as well as judiciary for springing into action to get them justice. As per reports, the culprits used their clout to affect the outcome of the case, yet medias coverage and judiciarys bravery foiled these attempts. Both the pillars of state deserve a round of applause.