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LAHORE, Oct 22 (APP):The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday acquitted a convict, Muhammad Bilal, who had been sentenced to death twice in a double murder case linked to an old enmity.
The court set aside the trial court’s verdict after finding that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Sardar Akbar Ali Dogar heard Bilal’s appeal. The bench observed that the prosecution could not substantiate its case through credible evidence.
During the proceedings, the defence counsel argued that Gujranwala police had registered a case in 2021 over the killings of Muhammad Tasawar and Muhammad Nawaz, accusing Bilal and several others of involvement. He contended that the witnesses’ presence at the crime scene was unproven, the post-mortem reports contained contradictions, and the incident details were ambiguous.
The prosecutor opposed the appeal, but the court noted that discrepancies in witness statements, lack of evidence confirming their presence at the scene, and inconsistencies in medical findings rendered the prosecution’s case unreliable.
The court subsequently overturned the conviction and ordered Bilal’s release after four and a half years in custody.