ISLAMABAD: A three-judge Supreme Court bench will commence suo motu hearing on Tuesday about the acquittal of the accused in Lahore’s Zain murder case.

The bench comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood will take up the matter of acquittal by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore of the five accused, including Mustafa Kanju, son of former minister of state Siddique Kanju.

The Supreme Court had summoned record of the case from the trial court on Oct 30. The record has been provided to the apex court.

Mustafa, along with his four guards, had allegedly opened fire on a vehicle near Cavalry Ground on April 1 and killed Zain – an orphan boy – and injured a passerby.

But they were acquitted of all charges by ATC-I Presiding Judge Muhammad Qasim on Oct 28 because of lack of evidence, although the trial court had indicted them for killing 16-year-old Zain and injuring Husain, 18.

The ATC released the accused after they submitted an application under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code as the complainant and all prosecution witnesses had not testified against them.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play