PAKISTAN: KARACHI MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN WIFE’S MURDER CASE
January 27, 2022: A model court has handed down death sentence to a man for burning his wife to death over a domestic dispute, Dawn reported on 26 January 2022. Accused Rajesh alias Raju was found guilty of setting ablaze Radha in Gulbahar on 7 October 2020. Additional District and Sessions Judge Liaqat Ali Khoso of the Model Criminal Trial Court (Central) in Karachi pronounced his verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides. The judge noted that the prosecution successfully proved the charge against the accused. The court ordered him to pay Rs1 million as compensation to the legal heirs of the victim or undergo six-month additional imprisonment in case of default. However, the death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Sindh High Court. According to the prosecution, on the day of the incident Rajesh called complainant Ravi and told him that his sister had suffered burn injuries. The accused cooked up a story that Radha caught fire in the worship area because of the mustard oil, it added. Her brother was further informed that the victim was under treatment at the Burns Ward of the Civil Hospital Karachi. State prosecutors Shakeel Ahmed and Dilip Kumar argued that during treatment the victim had disclosed that she was set on fire by her husband following a quarrel between them. They further argued that the husband of the victim deliberately restrained the complainant from informing the police about the incident until her treatment was completed. However, the prosecutors said that Radha died in the government health facility on 12 October 2020. A case was registered under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Gulbahar police station on the complaint of victim’s brother Ravi. (Source: Dawn, 26/01/2022)
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