SWABI: The court of additional district and sessions judge, Swabi, acquitted four accused in a murder case of four persons over a property dispute for lack of sufficient evidence and contradictions in the prosecution’s case.
The accused’s counsel, Advocate Syed Mubashir Shah pleaded the case during the trial.
According to the detailed judgment, the accused identified as Sabz Ali, Raj Wali, Waheed and Naveed had been charged with killing four persons during a dispute over land ownership.
The prosecution stated that on August 25, 2023, the victims were present on their agricultural land when the accused opened fire, killing all four men working in the fields.
A case had been registered against the accused at the Swabi Police Station on the complaint of Ayaz.
During arguments, defence counsel Mubashir Shah contended that the allegations against his clients were baseless and that the complainant himself was not present at the scene of the incident.
He argued that the complainant had made false statements before the court and that the prosecution had failed to maintain consistency in the testimonies of multiple witnesses.
The defence lawyer also pointed to evidence collected from the crime scene, arguing that it further weakened and cast doubt on the prosecution’s case.
He pleaded that if the complainant was not present at the scene, the entire prosecution’s story became questionable, and under such circumstances, the benefit of the doubt must go to the accused.
He prayed the court to acquit the accused on the grounds of the absence of eyewitnesses and contradictions in witness statements, saying that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a doubt.
