Karachi: The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday rejected the appeal of Shahrukh Jatoi, convicted of a murder, to transfer his trial to a normal court from the anti-terrorism court that has already sentenced him to death.
Jatoi and his accomplices are accused of murdering Shahzeb Khan in an incident which shook Karachi last December.
Jatoi had managed to flee the country unharmed.
A series of protests by civil society members and political parties drew the attention of the apex court towards the case, leading to Jatoi being arrested and tried in the anti-terrorism court (ATC).
Jatoi filed an appeal in the Sindh High Court to try him in the district court as murder cases are usually heard and disposed off there.
However, the court rejected his appeal.
Meanwhile, the ATC gave Jatoi the death sentence and Jatoi filed an appeal against the sentence. Simultaneously, he also approached the Supreme Court for reviewing the Sindh High Court decision of trying him in the ATC.
However, the apex court also rejected the Jatoi plea on Monday.
The case has also become a test case for the crime justice system as the Jatoi, who is the son of a billionaire and very influential man, got the legal heir of the slain Khan to forgive the murder under Islamic provision of the criminal laws.
Under Qasas and Diyat law, the parents of Khan had submitted an affidavit of forgiveness of their son’s murder.
On the record, the family of Khan forgave Jaoti in the name of Allah but insiders said that tens of millions of rupees were paid to the grieved family as blood money and there was also immense pressure on them.
The family came in for sharp criticism by the media and the witnesses of the case who braved the threats of dire consequences allegedly from the family of the convict. The family denies taking the money or being pressurised.
