Court commutes death sentence to life imprisonment

The Sindh High Court commuted the death sentence of a man convicted of killing his wife to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs1 million payable to the heirs of the victim.

A two-member bench headed by Justice KK Agha passed the verdict on the appeal of the accused Ghulam Rasool against the death sentence handed down by a trial court for murdering his wife, Mumtaz Begum.

Ghulam Rasool had doubts over the character of Mumtaz - a working woman who met other men in due course of employment. Though it was a love marriage, Ghulam Rasool started thinking that Mumtaz could be meeting someone else just like she met him. He became so suspicious that he killed her in the name of so called honor.

 A case was registered against the accused by Mumtaz's brother, Qari Hilal Ahmed, in 2018 at Docks police station. The complainant in his in the statement had said that his sister Mumtaz had married Ghulam Rasool, which was her second marriage, eight months ago and it was a love marriage. He said that, on November 2, 2018, his nephew told him that people had gathered outside his Mumtaz's house. After entering the house, Hilal said, he saw Mumtaz's body lying on the bed, her feet were tied and there was a rope around her neck.

Hearing adjourned

The SHC adjourned the hearing of petitions against the approval of challan and medical examination of the underage Karachi girl who traveled to Lahore for free-will marriage.

 The accused's lawyer stated that Justice Salahuddin Panhwar was not present. "We want this case to be processed without delay. The case hearing should be adjourned until September 26" he said insisting that Justice Panhwar should hear the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2022.