The Sindh High Court (SHC) has dismissed the bail application of a man in a quadruple murder case. Police had arrested Bilal with co-accused Mohammad Shahzad for murdering four female members of his family after the refusal of a marriage proposal from the girl he wished to marry.
According to the prosecution, applicant Bilal had been instigated by co-accused Shahzad, and he slit the throats of his mother Shamshad, sister Madiha, sister-in-law Ayesha and niece Aleena in the Moosa Lane area on October 19, 2024.
Bilal told police that he had committed the murders on the instigation of Shahzad, who had allegedly been pressuring him for two months to kill his family and marry Shahzad’s sister, then transfer ownership of his home to his sister.
His counsel said that an extrajudicial confession cannot be taken into account because it is barred under articles 38 and 39 of the Qanoon-e-Shahadat Order, and sought release on bail. He said police had foisted the confession upon his client to solve the case, adding that there had been no witness to the crime.
After hearing the arguments of the counsel and the perusal of the evidence, a single SHC bench headed by Justice Omar Sial said the crime weapon had been recovered on his identification from the water under the Native Jetty Bridge.
The court said Bilal has a compelling case to answer for the slaughter of his family. The court added that the case against the co-accused is on a very different footing. The bench said that there is evidence against him that the applicant’s shoes and clothes worn during the slaughter had been hidden in his house, adding that Bilal’s allegation as regards instigation is absurd because no brother wants his sister to marry a murderer.
The court dismissed Bilal’s bail application and granted bail to Shahzad because it requires further inquiry. The court said that the trial court’s observation of Fasad-Fil-Arz (corruption on earth or spreading mischief) made in its bail order is premature because it is a complex concept with little precedent and must be decided after the evidence is led and with solid reasons for its application.
