Dubai court allows plea for ‘blood money’ to victim’s kin

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 28

The Al Ain Appeal Court in Dubai today allowed an application moved on behalf of 10 Punjabi youths, who are on death row for having killed a Pakistani during a feud last year, to consider grant of “blood money” to the victim’s kin, which can ensure their release.

The court fixed January 23 as the next date of hearing awaiting consent from the family of deceased Mohamaad Faran of Peshawar. Initially, 11 Punjabi youths faced charges out of which 10 were recently convicted of murder.

According to SPS Oberio, chairman of NGO Sarbat Da Bhalla Trust, who had paid $1m (£645,000) as “blood money” to secure the release of 17 Indians in 2013, said he had taken up their case in the court and pleaded that their lives be spared by paying of “blood money” to the victim’s kin.

Though the court accepted the plea, the judge made it clear that a final decision would be pronounced only after securing consent from Faran’s family. Oberio said he had already started efforts to get in touch with Faran’s family to get their consent.

It was also learnt that the appeal court deputed separate public attorneys to represent the 10 youths in the court.

The 10 Indians, who are lodged in the Al-Aweer Detention Centre for Men in Dubai, after they were convicted of killing Faran in July 2015.

They include Satminder Singh of Barnala, Chander Shekhar of Nawanshahr, Chamkaur Singh of Malerkotla, Kulwinder Singh, Balwinder Kumar and Dharamvir Singh of Ludhiana, Harjinder Singh of Mohali, Tarsem Singh of Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh of Patiala and Jagjit Singh of Gurdaspur.

On the night of July 5, 2015, these youths entered into a quarrel with three Pakistanis over bootlegging. The Pakistanis were attacked and in the feud that followed Faran was killed, while two others were injured.