The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed the appeals filed by motorway rape convicts Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga against their convictions.
According to details, the LHC issued a detailed judgment rejecting the appeals against the convictions of the two men for raping a woman on the motorway.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Shahbaz Rizvi dismissed the appeals filed by Abid Malhi and Shafqat Bagga. The court ruled that forensic evidence strengthened the prosecution’s case and that DNA evidence directly linked the accused to the crime.
The court observed that granting undue leniency in serious crimes would be contrary to the demands of justice. It stated that minor discrepancies in evidence do not weaken the prosecution’s case, as there was a complete chain of evidence against the accused.
The court further stated that protecting women is essential for maintaining social trust. It noted that the truth cannot be concealed and that DNA evidence is irrefutable, while scientific evidence plays a crucial role in establishing facts.
It is worth mentioning that the Anti-Terrorism Court had sentenced both accused men to death on March 20, 2021. Abid Malhi and Shafqat Bagga had subsequently filed appeals in the Lahore High Court challenging their sentences.
LHC on Tuesday issued a detailed judgment upholding the death sentences awarded to two convicts in the high-profile 2020 Lahore-Sialkot Motorway gang-rape case.
The court ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved the charges against the convicts beyond a reasonable doubt through strong and credible ocular, medical, and forensic evidence.
Earlier, through a short order issued on June 3, 2026, a two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa had dismissed separate criminal appeals filed by convicts Abid Ali alias Malhi and Shafqat Ali alias Bagga against their convictions and sentences. The detailed verdict later explained the reasons behind the rejection of the appeals.
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