Two handed life sentences in murder case

Court grants extension to SHO for submitting reply on Gizri 'encounter' plea

A local court sentenced on Thursday sentenced three men to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of killing a citizen during a robbery bid on University Road in June 2017.

Besides, the court ruled that each of the convicts, Saifullah, Usman and Abdul Sami, were to pay Rs200,000 to the family of the slain man, Abdul Rehman.

The court also sentenced the convicts to rigorous imprisonment for seven years for committing robbery.

Extension granted

Separately, a local court granted an extension to the Gizri SHO for submitting his reply on a plea seeking the registration of a case against policemen for killing five alleged robbers during a 'staged' encounter.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Laila Parveen has filed the petition. The PTI leader claims that one of the slain men was her driver, Abbas, and that his death was a result of an extrajudicial killing by the police. The police, on the other hand, maintain that Abbas, along with the four other slain men, belonged to a robbers' gang and all of them were killed during an encounter.

At the hearing, the Gizri SHO sought an extension for submitting his reply on the plea.

Accepting his request, the court granted him an extension until December 16 and adjourned the hearing.

Petitions filed

Meanwhile, the families of two factory workers who died in the Baldia factory fire filed two petitions, seeking monetary compensation worth Rs14.6 million from the owners of Ali Enterprises.

In the petitions, the victims' children have held the factory's owners responsible for their parents' death, because of their failure to implement fire safety measures and ensure the presence of emergency exits. The petition moves the court to order the owners to pay monetary compensation to the deceased workers’ children.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2020.