KARACHI, June 2: A Sindh High Court division bench on Monday adjourned the hearing of the plea of an accused being tried by an anti-terrorism court in a case of allegedly mistaken identity.

‘Bahadar Brohi’ is being tried for kidnapping for ransom and the ATC has fixed June 3 for framing of charges. The accused says that he is Shahid Rind and not ‘Bahadur Brohi’, younger brother of notorious criminal Mashooq Brohi. His counsel, Adnan Karim, vehemently argued for stay of the trial, contending that the parade wherein he was finally identified as Bahadur Brohi was not conducted in accordance with the law. The accused had already acquired “notoriety” because of media exposure and could easily be identified by any “planted” witness, he argued.

The accused was picked up in Hub while travelling in a bus from Quetta to Karachi in July 2007. A habeas corpus petition was moved by Ghulam Hussain Rind, who claimed to be his paternal uncle.

He was produced in the high court by the CID police in October 2007 and a division bench. He alleged torture in custody and in view of his poor condition, the bench ordered his medical examination and treatment. A case registered against him after his arrest was ordered to be quashed.

The bench, which consisted of Justices Rana Mohammad Shamim and Ghulam Dastgir Shahani, seemed initially to agree that the parade did not carry much evidentiary value but decided to hear the two sides in greater detail on June 6.