ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has acquitted Abdul Rehman, alias Bhola, and Zubair, alias Chariya, in the Baldia Town factory fire case, setting aside the death sentences awarded to them by the trial court and subsequently upheld by the Sindh High Court.
A three-member SC bench headed by Justice Shahzad Malik announced the verdict after hearing the appeals and allowed the petitions filed by the convicts. The court held that in the light of the evidence and legal issues involved, the accused were entitled to the benefit of the doubt.
The court also disposed of a petition seeking the expungement of certain judicial observations, declaring the request infructuous. The bench observed that since the original judgment had been set aside, the related remarks automatically ceased to have legal effect.
During the proceedings, the court noted several legal and evidentiary weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. Questions were also raised regarding certain confessional statements and issues relating to the alleged political affiliations of some of the accused.
The bench further rejected applications seeking to implead the heirs of the deceased victims as parties to the proceedings. The court observed that allowing a large number of parties to join the case can unnecessarily prolong the litigation process.
Justice Malik remarked that the case had been made more complicated by linking together various political and legal aspects, while Justice Shakeel Ahmad observed that there were clear contradictions between certain statements and the available evidence.
The Baldia Town tragedy had occurred on September 11, 2012, when a fire broke out at a factory in Karachi, claiming the lives of 259 people and injuring many others. The accused had faced allegations of arson and extortion linked to the incident.
