LAHORE: The Supreme Court Lahore Registry dismissed on Tuesday the appeal of convict Imran Ali against the death sentence handed to him for raping and murdering a minor girl in Kasur.
A three-judge bench, comprising Justices Asif Saeed Khosa, Manzoor Ahmed Malik, and Mansoor Ali Shah, rejected the convict's appeal and upheld the death penalty handed to him by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).
Seven-year-old Zainab was kidnapped from near her aunt’s house in Kasur on January 4 and was found dead in a garbage heap five days later. On January 23, the authorities claimed to have nabbed her killer, Imran, through a DNA match.
On February 17, the anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the high-profile case sentenced Imran to death four times. Appealing against the ATC verdict, Imran claimed innocence before the Lahore High Court and pleaded for the verdict to be declared null and void.
High-profile case
The ATC conducted the trial inside the Kot Lakhpat Jail and concluded proceedings a week after the suspect's indictment, as per the orders of the Lahore High Court.
Imran was sentenced to death for kidnapping, rape, murder and under Section 7-ATA. Additionally, for performing an unnatural act with a minor he was sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs1 million and for desecrating human remains by dumping Zainab's body in the garbage he was sentenced to seven years, the Punjab Prosecutor General Ehtesham Qadir had informed the media.
The court had recorded witnesses of several individuals, including Zainab’s uncle and brother. The prosecution had also used the forensic report establishing a DNA match and a polygraph test against Imran.
Moreover, Imran had confessed to his crime in court on the day of his indictment.