SHC orders retrial in Shahzeb Khan murder case

Setting aside death and other sentences awarded to Shahrukh Jatoi and others pertaining to the trial in Shahzeb Khan murder case, Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Tuesday review of charges against Jatoi and a fresh trial by sessions court.

The court made this decision during the hearing, during which Jatoi's lawyer Advocate Farooq H. Naek sought the suspect's retrial in the juvenile court. The application had been filed in August 2016 by the lawyer.

Naek prayed the court for retrial of the case in a regular court and not under the anti-terrorism law. He said that at the time of the murder Jatoi was not an adult, therefore he should be tried at a regular court, local media reported. The lawyer appealed to the court to review whether the case was eligible to be tried in an Anti-Terrorism Court or not.

The judge said the case could be sent for a retrial in a sessions court after a review of whether the terrorism charges were applicable or not. The court decided on a fresh trial of the case in a sessions court, disposing of the sentence handed to the four accused.

Son of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Shahzeb Khan, was gunned down on the night of December 24, 2012 in Karachi’s Defence Housing Society. Seven people, including Shahrukh Jatoi, Nawab Siraj Talpur, his brother Sajjad Talpur and their employee Murtaza Lashari were booked in the murder case.

Jatoi and his friend Siraj were sentenced to death by the ATC. While Sajjad and Lashari were awarded life in prison by an Anti-Terrorism Court. However, Jatoi, the key suspect, had challenged his sentence. He challenged that as he was a juvenile when he had committed the crime, he could not be tried under the anti-terrorism law.

Khan’s parent after a year had announced pardon for Jatoi and the three other convicts without receiving blood money. Father of Khan, DSP Aurangzeb Khan and mother Ambreen Aurangzeb had also requested for the release of the four criminals involved.