17 Indian youths in UAE jail may return
Thursday, 23/08/2012
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=45838&boxid=57620&uid=&dat=2012-08-23
Jalandhar: Seventeen Indian youths (16 Punjabis and a Haryanvi) who have been languishing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) jail since 2009 in connection with a murder and bootlegging case may soon return after the Sharjah Civil Court gives its verdict on September four about the suit of compensation pending against them.
The Civil suit had been filed by two Pakistani real brothers Shahid Iqbal and Mushtaq Ahmed against the youths after their death sentence was commuted on September 12, 2011 in the Pakistani national Mishri Khan’s murder case. Talking to Daily Post on Wednesday, the Dubai-based Indian philanthropist cum businessman, SP Singh Oberoi said that court would give its verdict about the amount of compensation for Ahmed’s disability in the incident of brawl of the youths with the deceased Mishri Khan and the two brothers. “Ahmed has demanded a compensation of 1.5 Dirham (over Rs two crore) for the injuries he had sustained. In the verdict, the final amount decided by the Court would be told. If the amount is within our paying capacity then we will immediately pay it and get the case closed. If this happens, the youths will reach their homes in India by September 10. However, if the amount exceeded our paying capacity, we will challenge the judgement in the Appellate court”.
It may be mentioned here that the youths were earlier on death row in connection with the murder of a Pakistani national Mishri Khan. They were saved from going to gallows after the family members of the victim, had agreed to accept blood-money of Rs 4 crore. Half of the amount was paid by Oberoi and the rest was raised from other sources. Blood-money or ‘diya’ is compensation paid by an offender or his family/community to the family/community of the victim, in exchange for a pardon. Khan was killed in a turf war over illegal liquor trade.
Later, after the payment of ‘diya’, the court had commuted the death sentence of the youths and had reduced the imprisonment to two years. They were also awarded six month imprisonment for bootlegging but the total imprisonment of two years and six months was cancelled as they had already spent over three years in jail. The case again took a turn when the two Pakistani brothers had filed a civil suit in the court, claiming that they were injured and left disabled in the same scuffle. The court had formed a medical penal to analyse the injuries and disabilities of the Pakistani brothers. Oberoi said that all the medical reports and other documents were submitted in the court and now it was on September four that fate of these youngsters would get clear.
