PESHAWAR, Dec 2: The Federal Shariat Court here on Monday acquitted an appellant convicted by a qazi court of committing dacoity.

A single bench, comprising the Chief Justice of the Shariat Court, Justice Fazl Ilahi Khan, ruled that the prosecution could not produce enough evidence which could connect the appellant with the commission of the offence.

The appellant, Gul Wali, was convicted by zila qazi, Buner district, on Oct 5, 2000, and was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment.

The complainant in the case was Bukhtzada, a resident of Thotalai area, who claimed that on the night of occurrence the accused entered their residence along with seven other persons and held the inmates on gun-point. He alleged that the accused collected jewellry and other valuables. The complainant claimed that the dacoits manhandled the womenfolk and decamped with the loot.

The police had registered a case under section 17 of the Offence Against Property (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance read with section 397 of Pakistan Penal Code.

Counsel for the appellant, Hazrat Said, argued that the appellant was falsely implicated in the instant case. He contended that there was no evidence on record against the appellant.