LAHORE: A Lahore High Court two-judge bench on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to an underage driver involved in a car accident in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) that resulted in the death of six members of a family last year.

In his arguments, a lawyer for the suspect, Afnan Shafqat, stated that three co-suspects had been found innocent in police investigation. He said the geofencing of the incident was conducted, and the witnesses included in the case were not present at the scene.

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The bench inquired whether the suspect, who was 17 and a half years old, was declared a juvenile.

The lawyer confirmed that the police declared the petitioner/suspect a juvenile in the charge sheet. He said if a trial does not start within six months, bail should be granted.

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Opposing the bail, a lawyer for the complainant said the discrepancy in the versions of his client were due to state of shock when he gave the initial statement and provided a supplementary statement once he regained his composure.

He argued that the statements of the witnesses were not relevant to the bail petition.

The bench observed that the decision on bail would be based on the available evidence.

A prosecutor argued that the suspect did not merely hit the vehicle accidentally, but he forcefully hit it with intent. He said the forensic report of the vehicles was still pending and a medical board had been formed to assess the juvenile status of the suspect.

The prosecutor said a new medical board had been constituted to verify the juvenile status of the suspect.

He stated that a decision on the bail should be made in light of the medical board’s report.

Headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, the bench allowed the bail petition of the suspect subject to furnishing of surety bonds.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2024