In an interesting development, the Supreme Court on Friday acquitted two people — one of them a former district and sessions judge — of the charge of murdering the son of another jurist, Khalid Hussain Shahani, who now serves as a judge in the Sindh High Court (SHC).
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) had sentenced former district and sessions judge Sikandar Lashari and co-accused Irfan Khan to death in August 2018 for murdering 19-year-old Aqib Shahani in Hyderabad in February 2014 for allegedly having an affair with Lashari's daughter.
In April 2020, the SHC had upheld the death penalty. An appellate bench led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar noted that the guilt of both the accused had been proven.
It had stated that the evidence including clear admission of guilt by the former district judge through a video statement secretly recorded in the office of a police officer and revelation of material and uncontroverted facts through call data record linked the former judge with killers.
The convicts later moved the SC which on Friday acquitted them. In it short order authored by Justice Athar Minallah, the SC cited faulty investigation and weak prosecution as reason for letting the accused off the hook. A detailed order in the case will be issued later.
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