Salman Farooqi and Awais Hashmi, both charged in an assault case in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi, were granted bail by the Sindh High Court. They were charged with assaulting Sudheer, a youthful biker, in the presence of his sister. A video of the attack went viral, causing sharp public outcry and demands for harsh legal punishment.
Based on a report from Muhammad Saleem, who saw the incident, the case was registered at the Gizri Police Station. Assault, death threats, and public humiliation were among the charges. Approving the bail requests, the court requested Rs100,000 guarantee bonds from both defendants.
At the hearing, the defence counsel said, “We have no objections to the bail.” The prosecutor added, “We have no objections either; the court may grant bail.” Earlier on, the same court denied their application for bail. The Additional District and Sessions Judge South reached that conclusion.
Police claimed the defendant threatened Sudheer and humiliated a lady during the event, besides beating him. Sudheer came into court on the day of his bail hearing and admitted he had not learned of the summons before. Only after his attorney informed him did he arrive.
The court inquired if he was under any sort of pressure. Denying being under pressure, the victim declared, “I have forgiven the accused.” He further said he had no qualms with the court’s decision. The case set off discussions on justice, influence, and how victims typically retreat after pressure or settlements.
A prior report noted that before the court in the same case, the victim had pardoned Salman Farooqi. Though the charges were very severe, the court’s ultimate ruling was influenced by the lack of protest from both sides and the victim’s testimony.
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