Court acquits four in murder case

Benefit of doubt cited as the reason for acquittal

LAHORE:

A sessions court acquitted four accused in a murder case which was registered by Shafiqabad police.

The court acquitted the accused Mirza Farooq, Hammad, Waqas and Bilal on the benefit of doubt on Tuesday.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Kashif announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both parties and examining the evidence.

Advocate Faisal Bajwa represented the accused and submitted that Shafiqabad police registered a case over charges of torturing Shahid Raza to death. Bajwa submitted that all allegations were baseless as they could not be proven against his clients.

He submitted that witnesses' statements contradicted each other and their presence at the crime scene remained unproven. He pleaded with the court to acquit his clients.

However, the prosecution opposed the request and pleaded with the court for handing down strict punishment to the accused.

The court rejected the prosecution's plea and acquitted all the accused men.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2022.