HYDERABAD, Sept 4: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Thursday issued pre-admission notices to 33 respondents, including Sindh Tarraqi Passand Party Chief Dr Qadir Magsi, against six separate criminal acquittal appeals.

The acquittal appeals were filed by the provincial government through the additional advocate general, Sindh, Hyderabad, Masood A. Noorani, under section 417(1) of CrPC, praying the court to set aside the verdict of the sixth additional district and sessions judge, acquitting the respondents.

The appellant has also prayed the court to remand the case back to the sessions judge, Hyderabad, with directives either to try the case himself or send it to any other additional advocate general other than the VIth additional district and sessions judge.

The appellant stated in the appeals that the respondents had resorted to indiscriminate fire killing and injuring hundreds of innocent people on Sept 30, 1988 and as many as 68 FIRs were lodged at six police stations.

The additional advocate general argued that on July 25 when the trial court gave the verdict even police papers were not received and it had been correctly mentioned in the verdict that the only evidence available against acquitted accused was confessional statements.

He said that, in fact, police collected ocular evidence, seized the car used in the crime and held identification parade, whereas the trial court claimed that evidence relating to special court was not available before it.

He argued that the trial court totally ignored the factum of identification of some accused by eyewitnesses because neither evidence, recorded by the presiding officer, STA Court, nor police papers were available.

He described the judgment totally based on presumptions and conjectures which could not be drawn from the record available in the case.