Court sets free all convicts in Khipro student’s gang-rape case

KARACHI: The judge of an additional sessions Court, Khipro on Thursday ordered to set free all the convicts in the Zainab Bhayo gang-rape case after complainant Dr Bhayo and the victim said they did not want to pursue the case.

The complainant of the case, Dr Mohammad Amin Bhayo, and victim Zainab Bhayo appeared before the court of additional sessions judge of Khipro town, district Sanghar and recorded their statements in favour of the convicts.

In 2019 the Additional Sessions Judge Khipro, Inayatullah Bhutto had awarded capital punishment to the accused including Danish, Jahanzeb and Wasim Rajput and handed down life term of 25 years with rigorous punishment to Suhail Ahmed Rajput. They had subjected a young girl to gang-rape in a locality of Khipro town, recorded the entire ordeal of the victim and then shared the video on different sites of internet way in 2010. According to the local sources, the relatives of the convicted persons pressurised the family of the victim reportedly through the tribal chief of the victim Bhayo family.

The sources further said the chief of Bhayo tribe allegedly, after imposing the fine of Rs10 million on the convicts, asked the people of his community not to create hurdles in the legal procedures. The relatives of the convicts, after filing a petition in the circuit bench of Sindh High Court, Hyderabad managed to transfer the case for fresh hearing at the court of Khipro town, where Illamuddin Janwari, Additional Sessions Judge, Khipro ordered to set free all the convicts after complainant Dr Bhayo and victim Zainab Bhayo herself recorded their statements, saying that they did not want to pursue the case and they had already pardoned the tormentors.

The judge, in his detailed verdict issued on Thursday, stated that all four persons, were exonerated of all the charges in the light of the statements and counter pleas of the lawyers from both sides.