KARACHI, Jan 28: A division bench of the Sindh High Court accepting appeals of four accused on Tuesday set aside their death sentences awarded by an anti-terrorism Court sitting at Larkana on August 29, 2001, and ordered their release, if not required in any other case.

The bench consisted of Justice Wahid Bux Brohi and Justice Muhammad Moosa K. Leghari.

According to the prosecution, on August 8, 1998, two police constables, Inayat Ali and Muhammad Hanif, were on patrol when they saw armed persons. When they reached near them, they opened fire resulting in the death of Inayat Ali. The police fired in return that killed Sikandar Ali Jatoi. Others escaped.

The police later arrested Latif, Suhabat, Sadoro and Bego alias Gul Beg, who were tried in ATC Larkana-Sukkur and awarded death sentences with a fine of Rs200,000 each.

They filed appeal in the Sindh High Court against the ATC judgment. Their counsel Shaukat Zubaidi contended that neither identification parade of the petitioners was correctly conducted nor had witnesses identified them in the court.

The court set aside the death sentences of the appellants, and ordered to release them, if not required in any case.

Hearing put off: A full bench of the Sindh High Court put off the hearing of a constitutional petition filed by Benazir Bhutto, the chairperson of the PPP, challenging her disqualification from contesting the Oct 10 general elections, for a date to be fixed later by the office of the court.

The bench comprised Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad, Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Musheer Alam.—PPI/APP