- Apex court issues written verdict over Asmat’s bail plea, stating that bail has been granted under the Section 497 of CrPC.
- Asmat granted bail under legal provision that allows women to be granted bail even for other nonbailable offenses.
- Verdict states the bail shall be cancelled in case she tries to delay the trial or influence witnesses in the case.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday issued its written order on a plea seeking bail for Asmat Adamjee, mother of prime suspect Zahir Jaffer in the Noor Mukadam murder case.
The apex court had on Monday granted Asmat bail after she challenged the rejection of her bail pleas by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
A similar plea filed by Zahir’s father, Zakir Jaffer, was rejected.
“Asmat’s bail plea is accepted under a sub-section of Section 497 [pertaining to release on bail for individuals under the age of 16, women or sick] of the Criminal Procedure Code 1898,” read the verdict.
The law allows women to seek bail even if they are suspected to have committed a nonbailable offence.
According to the verdict, the Asmat has been directed to submit bonds worth Rs1 million as surety against her bail.
“The bail shall be cancelled in case of misuse of release, tactics to delay the trial or influencing the witnesses of the case,” reads the verdict.
The verdict, comprising three pages, was written by Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
Separately, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking bail for Asmat’s husband, Zakir.
Moreover, the SC verdict added that the IHC’s orders to complete the trial within two months should be upheld.
IHC rejects bail pleas filed by Zahir Jaffer’s parents
Earlier, the IHC had rejected the bail pleas filed by Zahir’s parents in the case.
Zakir and Ismat had filed bail petitions in the case stating that they had nothing to do with Noor’s murder, while the police challan presented in court said that if Zahir’s parents had informed the police in time, Noor could have been saved.
Sessions court indicts Zahir Jaffer, 11 others in Noor Mukadam’s murder case
The prime suspect in the murder of Noor Mukadam, Zahir Jaffer, had been formally charged for the crime by a sessions court on October 14.
Besides Jaffer, two of the family’s employees — Jamil and Jan Mohammad — were also indicted, along with the Chief Executive Officer of Therapy Works, Tahir Zahoor, and eight others.
The murder
Noor Mukadam, a 27-year-old woman, was raped and murdered with a sharp instrument on July 20 within the limits of the Kohsar police station in Islamabad. A case was later registered at the same police station by Noor’s father, former Pakistani ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam.
Zahir Jaffer is the prime suspect in Noor Mukadam’s murder case. The grisly murder, in which Mukadam was beheaded, took place in the house which he was residing in.
The Islamabad police arrested suspect Zahir Jaffer on the night of July 20 from his house where, according to Noor’s parents, he killed her with a sharp instrument and severed her head.
The gruesome incident sparked a nationwide campaign seeking justice for her, with #JusticeforNoor becoming a top trend on Twitter.
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