The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted a death sentence accused convicted about 10 years ago.
Muhammad Asif and his mother were booked in a FIR registered at the Police Station of Barki in Lahore against the murder of a woman some 10 years ago. Trial court had handed down death sentence to Asif and released her mother for want of evidence in the murder case.
Asif appealed against the conviction in the Lahore High Court (LHC), which rejected the appeal and upheld the death sentence. The convict approached the Supreme Court against the rejection of the appeal by the high court.
Hearing the suspect’s appeal against the LHC order, a three-judge bench of the court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa ordered his acquittal, giving him benefit of doubt on murder charges. During the hearing, Justice Khosa remarked that truth was not being told in the instant matter.
He observed that the prosecution had failed to prove its case. Giving benefit of doubts, the court acquitted Muhammad Asif and ordered his release.