Wrongly convicted: Top court frees man after 14 years

Tariq Mehmood was booked in a murder case by Okara police allegedly killing a person

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted a murder accused, who had been imprisoned for last 14 years, for having no concrete evidence against him. Ironically, the usual life-term sentence for murder is 14 years imprisonment. The three-member SC bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa issued releasing order of Tariq Mehmood, who was booked in a murder case by Okara police allegedly killing a person namely Sallahud Din during Union Council Election 2002 over a personal grudge. During the course of proceedings, Justice Khosa remarked, “neither any solid evidence was presented nor plaintiff establish his case against the accused.” Mehmood was handed death sentence by a trial court However LHC converted it into life imprisonment. He had been in jail since 2002.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2017.