ISLAMABAD: The trial court has requested extra time to conclude the murder case of Noor Muqaddam.
For the second time, the trial of the case could not be finished within the two-month deadline set by the Islamabad High Court.
Session Extensions Judge Atta Rabbani has written to the Islamabad High Court, requesting extra time to finish the case. Judge Atta Rabbani wrote in the letter that because all of the lawyers defending the accused are from outside of Islamabad, the dates for the hearings must be set based on their availability and convenience.
The letter further claimed that except for one or two witnesses in the case, the defence counsel had cross-examined them, while testimonies of 17 witnesses have been recorded in the case.
The letter also claimed that various petitions were heard throughout the trial, which consumed the court’s time and resulted in the trial court not being completed within the two-month time limit.
The Islamabad High Court had previously ordered the trial court to complete the proceedings within two months following the suspects’ indictment on October 14, 2021.
By December 14, 2021, the trial was intended to be finished in two months.
The Islamabad High Court gave six weeks after being told by the trial judge, which was finished till the final week of January, but the trial is still ongoing.
Now, Additional Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani has informed the IHC, requesting that it set aside some time so that the trial can be finished. He also stated that after the prosecution witnesses’ statements, the cross-examination will be completed, and the accused’s lawyers will be given a questionnaire under section 342 of the Criminal Code, after which the final arguments in the case will begin, and that adequate time should be given so that the trial can be completed.
