SC dismisses Sarabjit Singh's review petition

[abdulrafi]

SC dismisses Sarabjit Singh's review petition
Updated at: 1120 PST, Wednesday, June 24, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh's review petition, challenging his death sentence.

A three-member bench of SC headed by Justice Raja Fayyaz gives its verdict.

Sarabjit has been on death row since he was convicted for his involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people in Pakistan.

Sababjit was sentenced to death by a special court, which was retained by High Court. Later, Supreme Court had rejected the petition filed against death sentence.

Three review petitions had been filed in apex court. The lawyer of petitioner was not present in the court during two days of hearing. The court on Wednesday has dismissed the petitions after brief hearing. Sarabjit is in Kot Lakhpat jail.

 

[afriend]

he fate of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh hung by a slender thread as Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed his review petition challenging the death sentence handed out to him in 1991, leaving him at the mercy of a presidential pardon by Asif Ali Zardari.

Sarabjit's conviction for alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people in Pakistan by an anti-terrorism court in 1991 was upheld by a three-member Supreme Court bench led by Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed. The bench dismissed 43-year-old Sarabjit's review petition after his counsel again failed to appear in the court and he was convicted, as there was nobody to defend him.

Sarabjit's counsel had failed to appear in the court for the past few hearings, including the last one on Monday.

Rana Abdul Hamid, the lawyer who was representing Sarabjit, told media persons after the verdict, "I cannot be present in the court as I am a government lawyer."

"Other lawyer, who was to represent him, was in some other court and before he could have reached there the petition was dismissed," said Hamid.

The sole hope left for Sarabjit, whose trial evoked much public and media hype on both sides of the border, is a pardon by President Zardari.

His review mercy petition is now pending in the President's office.

"I cannot really comment on this now," Presidential spokesman Farhattullah Babar said when asked to comment on the court order.

Sarabjit's lawyer Hamid said he had been unable to appear in the court after he was last year appointed an additional advocate general by Punjab [ Images ] government. Sarabjit was to be hanged on April one last year though Pakistani authorities put off his execution indefinitely after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani [ Images ] intervened in the matter.

Following an appeal by Sarabjit, the Lahore [ Images ] High Court had upheld his death sentence in 2003. The apex court too had upheld his death sentence in August 2005. Former President Pervez Musharraf [ Images ] dismissed Sarabjit's mercy petition last year.

Sarabjit's execution was initially deferred by 30 days by Musharraf last year. This was done so that the Pakistan People's Party-led government, which had just assumed power at the time, could review his case following India's appeal for clemency.

In October last year, then Law Minister Farooq Naek met Sarabjit at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore to examine his case so that President Zardari could decide whether to pardon him. There has been no movement in this matter since then.

Naek, who is now Chairman of the Senate or upper house of parliament, had pointed out that only the President had the powers to pardon or remit Sarabjit's sentence, as the Supreme Court had dismissed his mercy petition.
Pak SC rejects Sarabjit's review petition: Rediff.com news

Does any one feels that sarbjit should be pardoned..!!!!

 

[abdulrafi]

We released the one earlier few months back , and the indian sent the dead bodies of pakistanis in return , this time will not pardon him

 

[Patriot]

Should be hanged period.Last time we freed that guy and he goes to India and says i was a spy and paid and it was a huge slap in the face of GOP who released him because of kindness.Now these bastards needs to be hanged ASAP.Why are we even wasting food and money on them.

 

[dabong1]

Does any one feels that sarbjit should be pardoned..!!!!

The last time we pardoned a indian agent you sent us a dead pakistani in return.......what do you expect us to do?

 

[Jihad]

I'd say kill him, but then again, giving Amnesty is a good thing aswell..
He should be kept in Pakistani jails for eternity, or hand him over to the Indians and make sure that they keep him in prison for life.

 

[Patriot]

I'd say kill him, but then again, giving Amnesty is a good thing aswell..
He should be kept in Pakistani jails for eternity, or hand him over to the Indians and make sure that they keep him in prison for life.

Come on man..the money could be better spent then keeping this Indian in jail and giving him food etc.Just execute him.

 

[Patriot]

The last time we pardoned a indian agent you sent us a dead pakistani in return.......what do you expect us to do?

Lets not forget the same agent was saying i am a innocent man in Pakistan and as soon as he entered India he said i was a RAW spy.

 

[Jako]

Yes hang him......or whip him in public hanging him from a tree,burn his body by throwing boiling oil.......crush his head and rejoice with his blood in your hands.............BUT, LET TERRORISTS LIKE SAEED ROAM AROUND IN PUBLIC,LET HIM PLAN ANOTHER MUMBAI MASSACRE..........afterall you enjoy indians being killed,which is evident from the posts of my neighbours.........do it,hang on suspiscion but free on evidence

 

[afriend]

But i believe if GOP does pardon him then that will set a good precedent and definitely would help in peace process . But if hes hanged i guess this vicious cycle of eye for an eye would continue endlessly.

 

[muse]

Shouldn't this thread be on the strategic or currents events board?

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Yes hang him......or whip him in public hanging him from a tree,burn his body by throwing boiling oil.......crush his head and rejoice with his blood in your hands.............BUT, LET TERRORISTS LIKE SAEED ROAM AROUND IN PUBLIC,LET HIM PLAN ANOTHER MUMBAI MASSACRE..........afterall you enjoy indians being killed,which is evident from the posts of my neighbours.........do it,hang on suspiscion but free on evidence

since when is Hafiz Saeed a terrorist?

even the Hindu and Christian Pakistani citizens were FURIOUS at india for villifying him.


He has done many humanitarian projects for Pakistan's minority groups. He also was helping UN to distribute aid to 2005 earthquake victims.


indian should focus more on domestic terrorists and dismantle the terror infrastructure on her own soil. Arent the naxals already bombing your army and police forces? Arent they already in control of 5 indian states?


prioritize my son, prioritize.

 

[Jako]

since when is Hafiz Saeed a terrorist?

even the Hindu and Christian Pakistani citizens were FURIOUS at india for villifying him.


He has done many humanitarian projects for Pakistan's minority groups. He also was helping UN to distribute aid to 2005 earthquake victims.


indian should focus more on domestic terrorists and dismantle the terror infrastructure on her own soil. Arent the naxals already bombing your army and police forces? Arent they already in control of 5 indian states?


prioritize my son, prioritize.

sir,with due respect,wherefrom did you get the news that maoists control 5 indian states!?...,..they are being chased down and nullified everyday....,i believe i reside in one of those 5 states,and i know what the situation is like........they roam around in jungles,and still they are being hunted down by the deadly COBRA force and the CRPF,they are a nobody these days.....,....and as far as hafiz saeed is concerned ,evidence of his links to anti-india terror activities are bold and clear.,.....,i know we have bad people in india too,but they're being taken care of well,as we can see.........btw,under which law of pakistan do you hang a person on suspiscion?......another man like him was a raw agent doesnt mean,he too is a raw agent.......regards

 

[third eye]

The last time we pardoned a indian agent you sent us a dead pakistani in return.......what do you expect us to do?

If this is also the approach of the Judiciary then what happened yesterday is not surprising.

Why did his lawyer not present himself in court ? We saw the lame excuses the Addl Advocate General gave on TV last eve. He too was not convinced on what he was saying. If he couldn't attend, he could have deputed another.

The game as I can see it is to keep the issue alive.

Now that the Addl Adv Gen has been de notified as he said he now can ' defend' Sarbjit. He will now file a review petition in the SC on the plea that he could not attend etc & seek a review on that ground.

The aim is obvious, to keep the issue in limelight without doing anything substantial i.e. neither hang nor release the accused.. also bargain for the life of Afzal Guru.

 

[afriend]

His application was rejected because his public prosecutor failed to appear for him..!!! That is one thing that is very sad. Isnt there a provision to defer the date till he gets a lawyer..!!!! I hope even ajmal kasab have to face this situation in india.