LAHORE:The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday acquitted a man who was sentenced to death for allegedly killing a citizen over a minor dispute, after accepting his appeal against the conviction.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Farooq Haider and Justice Ali Zia Bajwa announced the verdict on appeal filed by the convict, Altaf.The bench observed that the prosecution failed to satisfactorily explain the delay in lodging the FIR.The bench noted that the incident was reported two hours after it occurred.
It observed that although the prosecution claimed the injured person was taken to hospital on a motorcycle after being shot, neither the motorcycle nor the clothes of the individuals who transported the injured were produced as evidence.
Additionally, the post-mortem examination was conducted nine hours after the incident, raising serious doubts about the prosecution’s version.In view of these shortcomings, the bench allowed the appeal and acquitted the convict.
During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the case suffered from serious legal and factual flaws. The case was registered under murder provisions at Saddar Farooqabad Police Station. The trial court had awarded the death sentence to the accused, Altaf, in 2022.
