Benefit Of Doubt: Two men acquitted of murder charge

LAHORE:  

The Supreme Court (SC) has acquitted two men of murder charge. Muhammad Hussain and Zahid Rafique were awarded death sentence by a trial court in 2002 under Section 302/34 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code. They were also convicted under Section 392/34 (robbery) of the PPC and sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment each. They had challenged the verdict in the Federal Shariat Court that had upheld the death sentence but suspended their imprisonment. They had then moved the SC which ruled that “sentences of the petitioners… are set a side and they are acquitted of the charge by extending the benefit of doubt to them”.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2016.