Hussain Tariq, the lawyer for District and Sessions Judge Mitti Sikandar Lashari speaks to media outside the Anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad. PHOTO: INP/FILE
HYDERABAD: The police have once again sought the physical remand of district and sessions judge, Sikandar Ali Lashari, who is the main suspect in the murder case of a young man. The judge, after remaining in police custody for interrogation for seven days, was remanded to jail custody by the anti-terrorism court.
The Sindh High Court on Monday allowed a revision plea of the investigation officer, DSP Razi Khan Almani, in this regard. Justice Syed Muhammad Farooq Shah set aside the ATC’s March 11 order of one-week judicial remand of Lashari. It further ordered the IO to seek his custody from the ATC again, where Lashari will be produced today for both the bail hearing and extension of remand.
The judge is accused for masterminding the killing of 20-year-old Aqib Shahani, the son of Jacobabad district and sessions judge Khalid Hussain Shahani. The incident occurred on February 19 when Aqib was killed in front of his mother, two sisters and a cousin near Niaz Cricket Stadium.
According to the DSP, the judge had planned the attack while Ghulam Abbas Siyal had carried it out. Barkat Lashari and Malook Rahimo had accompanied Siyal during the killing. The police have arrested Rahimo, while the Sindh government has announced a reward of Rs1 million for the arrest of each of the two absconders, Siyal and Lashari.
Police claim to have traced the mobile phone number used by Lashari to contact Burkat and Siyal.
The DSP said that the police had interrogated the clerk of Tharparkar district and sessions court, Saleem Afridi, who had admitted to have purchased the SIM card for the judge a few months ago. Afridi’s written statement, recorded under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, has also been submitted in the court. The SHC had suspended Lashari from service on March 3 after which the police produced him in the ATC on March 5.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2014.
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