Govt challenges Kanju’s acquittal in LHC
It requested the high court to set aside the order of the trial court for being flawed
Lahore High Court. PHOTO: LHC.GOV.PK
LAHORE:
Last week, the government challenged the acquittal of Mustafa Knaju in a murder case in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
In its appeal, the Prosecution Department stated that the trial court had prematurely accepted Kanju’s acquittal application. It said several witnesses had yet to testify.
“Besides the witnesses, the evidence collected from the crime scene was enough to establish the charge. Bullet casings collected from the scene matched with the Kalashnikov recovered from the suspect. The trial court relied only upon the retraction of statements of some witnesses and ignored the facts of the case,” the appeal stated.
It requested the high court to set aside the order of the trial court for being flawed.
Last month, an anti-terrorism court had acquitted Kanju and his guards from charges of killing Zain, 16, and injuring another passer-by after the complainant and the prosecution witnesses turned hostile.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali took suo motu notice of the acquittal order and summoned the case record. The proceedings of the suo motu notice are pending adjudication before a three-judge bench. Gulberg police had registered the case against Kanju and his guards under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Reopening of cases
Last week, the LHC was requested for an early hearing of petitions seeking reopening of cases of Bhagat Singh and Ilm Din Shaheed.
Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, the Bhagat Singh Memorial Association chairman, filed the application. He said that a single bench, headed by Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, had earlier sent the petition to the chief justice and requested him to constitute a larger bench for their hearing.
Qureshi said that six months had passed, but the larger bench had not been constituted. He requested the court for an early hearing of the petitions.
In his main petition, he had said that Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed and Bhagat Singh were people’s heroes. “They were convicted ex parte as the witnesses’ statements were not recorded by the then courts,” he said. He requested the court to reopen the cases.
Donkey hides
Last week, two people moved an application before the LHC to become party to a petition filed by a Chinese citizen seeking the recovery of donkey hides seized by police during a raid on September 5, 2015, in Kasur.
Nisar Ahmad and Muhammad Saeed filed the application. Justice Erum Sajjad Gull will hear the application on Monday (today).
The petitioners said that that the matter was of public interest as donkey meat was being sold to unsuspecting citizens.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2015.
Last week, the government challenged the acquittal of Mustafa Knaju in a murder case in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
In its appeal, the Prosecution Department stated that the trial court had prematurely accepted Kanju’s acquittal application. It said several witnesses had yet to testify.
“Besides the witnesses, the evidence collected from the crime scene was enough to establish the charge. Bullet casings collected from the scene matched with the Kalashnikov recovered from the suspect. The trial court relied only upon the retraction of statements of some witnesses and ignored the facts of the case,” the appeal stated.
It requested the high court to set aside the order of the trial court for being flawed.
Last month, an anti-terrorism court had acquitted Kanju and his guards from charges of killing Zain, 16, and injuring another passer-by after the complainant and the prosecution witnesses turned hostile.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali took suo motu notice of the acquittal order and summoned the case record. The proceedings of the suo motu notice are pending adjudication before a three-judge bench. Gulberg police had registered the case against Kanju and his guards under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Reopening of cases
Last week, the LHC was requested for an early hearing of petitions seeking reopening of cases of Bhagat Singh and Ilm Din Shaheed.
Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, the Bhagat Singh Memorial Association chairman, filed the application. He said that a single bench, headed by Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, had earlier sent the petition to the chief justice and requested him to constitute a larger bench for their hearing.
Qureshi said that six months had passed, but the larger bench had not been constituted. He requested the court for an early hearing of the petitions.
In his main petition, he had said that Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed and Bhagat Singh were people’s heroes. “They were convicted ex parte as the witnesses’ statements were not recorded by the then courts,” he said. He requested the court to reopen the cases.
Donkey hides
Last week, two people moved an application before the LHC to become party to a petition filed by a Chinese citizen seeking the recovery of donkey hides seized by police during a raid on September 5, 2015, in Kasur.
Nisar Ahmad and Muhammad Saeed filed the application. Justice Erum Sajjad Gull will hear the application on Monday (today).
The petitioners said that that the matter was of public interest as donkey meat was being sold to unsuspecting citizens.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2015.