KARACHI, Feb 18: A sessions court on Saturday granted bail to an accused in two cases.

Shahnawaz alias Ajmal Pahari, was booked in cases pertaining to a police encounter and possessing illicit weapons, and had moved his bail applications in court.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Javed Ahmed Keerio, who was conducting the trial in the judicial complex in the Karachi central prison, allowed the pleas against surety bonds of Rs100,000 each.

Earlier, the defence counsel contended that the recovery was foisted upon the applicant and he was also booked in a fake encounter case as he was picked up from his house on March 19, 2011 and his mother also reported the same to the police station concerned.

He maintained that the arrest was shown on March 28, 2011, which clearly indicated that the applicant was framed in the cases.

The public prosecutor opposed the pleas and argued that the applicant was indeed apprehended after a shoot-out and unlicensed weapons were found in his custody.

According to the prosecution, the Crime Investigation Department claimed to have arrested the accused after a shoot-out in New Karachi on March 28, 2011 and seized illicit weapons from him.

Two cases (FIR Nos.115/11 & 116/11) were registered under Sections 353 (criminal assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 13-D of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965.

The CID police alleged that the accused was involved in more than 100 cases of targeted killing.

However, according to defence counsel Mushtaq Ahmed, the accused had been acquitted in 12 cases, while six cases were still pending before the courts and he had also filed bail applications in the remaining cases.