KARACHI, Sept 28: A sessions court on Wednesday sentenced a 75-year-old man to death in a double murder case.

The court found Bashir Ahmed guilty of killing his wife Shamim Akthar and daughter-in-law Shahida within the remit of the Garden police station over a domestic dispute in 2003.

The additional district and sessions judge (south), Shahid Hussain Chandio, pronounced the judgment after recording evidence of witnesses and final arguments from both sides.

The court also directed the convict to pay Rs200,000 each to legal heirs of the deceased women in compensation and in case of a default he would undergo one-year imprisonment.

The court in its judgment observed that all the prosecution witnesses had fully implicated the accused in the commission of the crime and their evidence remained consistent on material points.

The accused was arrested at the scene of the crime carrying two knifes and having blood stains on his clothes and the medical evidence also fully corroborated the case of the prosecution, it added.

The court further observed that the defence took the plea that the complainant (son of the accused) used to sit on the rooftop of his house along with his friends and the accused on a number of occasions had expressed his displeasure over this, thus the complainant framed him in the present case.

However, the court in its judgement ruled: “It may be observed that no such suggestion was put to the complainant or any other witness, hence, the defence plea appears to be weak type and afterthought.”

It stated that all the prosecution witnesses were subjected to cross-examination at length, but the defence side failed to undermine their evidence.

The prosecution successfully proved its case against the accused beyond a shadow of a doubt, the court concluded.

According to the prosecution, the accused had stabbed both the women to death over a domestic dispute in their house and also tried to kill his son, but he managed to find refuge in his neighbour’s house.

The accused was taken into custody from the scene of the crime and the police also recovered the murder weapons from his possession, it added.

A case (FIR No.135/2003) was registered against him under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of his son at the Garden police station.