Plea against inserting 7-ATA in Priyantha lynching case dismissed

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging the inclusion of Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 in the FIR of lynching of Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot over blasphemy allegations.

One of the accused, Mohammad Taimur, filed the petition.

The petitioner’s counsel argued before the court that the offences narrated in the FIR did not attract the provision of the ATA as only one person was murdered in the incident. He said the police wrongly inserted Section 7 of the ATA in the FIR due to the pressure from the government.

The counsel said a similar application was filed before the trial court but the same was dismissed. He requested the court to allow the petition and order the trial court to delete the charges of terrorism in the FIR.

However, a two-judge LHC bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi dismissed the petition.

An anti-terrorism court is holding jail trial on a daily basis in the lynching case wherein 89 suspects have been indicted.

The victim, 49-year-old Priyantha Kumara, was tortured to death and his body was set on fire on Dec 3, 2021 by furious workers of Rajco Industries garment factory, where he was a manager.

The prosecution in its challan included 40 witnesses, besides videos, digital evidence, DNA evidence and forensic evidence. The witnesses also include Mr Kumara’s colleague who tried his best to save him from the mob.

According to the challan, footage from 10 digital video recorders in the factory was sent for forensic analysis and the accused were traced via social media videos and footage recovered from the mobile phones of 56 accused.

An FIR was registered against 900 workers at the Uggoki police station for aggravated murder and burning of the body against dozens of unidentified people under terrorism and murder provisions.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2022