Court declares decision to release main accused void

The Federal Shariat Court on Wednesday declared the decision to release the main accused in the Sonia Naz rape case void, DawnNews reported. A two-member bench of the FSC, comprising Justice Shahzad Sheikh and Justice Jahangir Arshad, heard the appeal in the case. The bench also gave the parties four months to complete the trial. Naz’s counsel, Zulfiqar Bhutta, said “the ruling calling for a retrial was a victory for justice”. The FSC also directed Naz to appear before a judge in the District and Sessions court in Lahore on December 10. Naz had been gang raped in 2005.