A Sessions Court on Friday convicted former SSP Mafkhar Adeel in the murder case of his childhood friend and former Assistant Advocate General Punjab Shahbaz Tatla and sentenced him life imprisonment.
An Additional Sessions Judge Shabraiz Raja, in his judgment delivered after the completion of the trial in murder case of former AAG Shahbaz Tatla, also ordered acquittal of the other two co-accused in the case.
Read more: CJP Ata Bandial raises questions on amendment in ECL rules
Prior to the verdict, jail authorities produced former SSP Mafkhar Adeel and other accused before the court. The court sentenced Adeel to life imprisonment and fined him while acquitting two co-accused Asad Sarwar and a constable Irfan.
Advocate Farhad Ali Shah, counsel for the slain Shahbaz Tatla, completed cross-examination on the statements of more than 28 witnesses in the case. Former SSP Mafkhar Adeel was accused of killing Shahbaz Tatla and dumping his body in an acid drum and pouring it into gutters and sewers. The case of Shahbaz Tatla was registered in February 2020 while on October 14, 2020, other accused including Mafkhar Adeel were indicted.
Convict SSP Mufakhar Adeel and former Assistant Advocate General Punjab Shahbaz Tatla were friends since childhood but according to the police, Mukhfar Adeel killed his close friend in February 2020 by putting a pillow on his face and then dumped his body in acid. According to police, he was told by his wife that the victim had raped his ex-wife Asma a few years back.
The prosecution has succeeded to prove that accused Mufakhar Adeel abducted Shahbaz Tatla, committed his murder, dissolved his body while throwing in acid and thereafter drained the same in sewerage line and caused disappearance of evidence. All the pieces of circumstantial evidence when combined together provided a strong chain of circumstances leading to irresistible conclusion that it was the accused Mufakhar Adeel who had killed the deceased. The chain of circumstantial evidence available on file ties the dead body of deceased Shahbaz Tatla with the neck of the accused Mufakhar Adeel. Recovery evidence and reports of Punjab Forensic Science Agency also supported the case of prosecution, the judge wrote in his judgment.
Giving reasons for not awarding death sentence the judge maintained: “so far as quantum of punishment is concerned, it is observed that in accordance with settled principle on the subject repeatedly observed by the higher judicial forum that non-proving the specified alleged motive is a mitigating circumstance while sentencing under the charge of capital punishment. In this case no specific motive was alleged by the prosecution and the same is shrouded in mystery. While seeking guidance from the judgments of the Supreme Court Mufakhar Adeel is convicted and awarded life sentences for murdering Shehbaz Tatla.
In the Challan, the police has said that Mafkar Adeel had told him that he had killed Shahbaz Tatla on suspicion of having an affair with his ex-wife but didn’t collect evidence to prove it.
The judge held that investigation officers Khalid Yaqoob SI and Syed Mustehsin Ali Shah DSP during the course of investigation found accused Mufakhar Adeel involved in the commission of alleged occurrence.
Read more: LHC grants protective bail to anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan in sedition cases
The court rejected the defene taken by Mufakhar Adeel and observed that it does not appeal to a prudent mind that complainant would implicate the present accused without any rhyme and reason and on the asking of high ups of police. Evidence produced by the accused in his defence is neither convincing nor confidence inspiring.
Police had also interrogated accused Mafkhar Adeel’s ex-wife Asma and present wife Iza to find out the motive behind the gruesome murder. Adeel’s first wife Asma had denied any connection between him and the slain Shahbaz Tatla.
For the latest BOL Live News, Follow on Google News. Read more on Latest Pakistan News on oldsite.bolnews.com
