Top court to hear Mukhtara Mai’s review plea in rape case today

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear a review petition challenging the acquittal of 13 suspects in the Mukhtars Mai gang rape case, on Wednesday.

According to details, Justice Gulzar Ahmed will head a three-judge bench headed and it will hear the review petition which the victim woman had instituted in Mary 2011.

In 2002, a Panchayat [village council] ordered Mai to be gang-raped after her brother was accused of having extra-marital affair with a woman of a rival clan.

An anti-terrorism court had in Aug 2002 sentenced six men to death. Four of the convicts were awarded capital punishment for raping Mai and two for being part of the Panchayat.

Later, the Lahore High Court Multan bench acquitted five of the convicts and converted the death sentence of accused Abdul Khaliq to life imprisonment.

Afterwards, Mai went to the apex court, challenging the acquittal of the accused. A three-judge bench of the apex court had in April 2011 rejected her appeal by a majority of two to one. Justice Nasirul Mulk had written a dissenting note, diverging from the majority opinion of Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Mian Saqib Nisar.