Indians on death row in UAE refuse to settle case with blood money (Second Lead)

SHARJAH - Seventeen Indians, sentenced to death for killing a Pakistani man in the UAE, have refused to pay the blood money to settle the case as offered by the victim’s family.

The representative of the deceased Misri Nazir Khan’s family told the Sharjah Court of Appeal Thursday that they are ready to settle the case if the accused agree to pay the blood money as recompense for the murder.

But the defence team headed by lawyer Mohammed Salman rejected the offer ruling out the question of settlement as the accused have not been proven guilty yet, The Gulf Today reported.

However, the court told the defence team to give a second thought to the offer and fixed Feb 17, 2011, the next date for hearing.

The court panel presided by Justices Abdulla Yousuf Al Shamsi and Ahmed Labib and Public Prosecutor Mustafa Al Barodi referred the settlement application to the defence lawyers who said they would discuss the proposal with the families of the defendants and a representative of the Indian Consulate in Dubai.

Talking to The Gulf Today, Bindu Chettur, a member of the defence team, said that the two investigating officers who appeared before the court Thursday were cross examined and their response has given a boost to their defence in the case.

The defence requested the judge to summon the remaining two investigating officers for cross-examination. They also requested the court to order them to produce the weapons that were allegedly used in the fight and which were later confiscated by the Sharjah Police.

She said that the evidence is not complete unless and until the material object used in the crime is produced in the court.

“It is a must to establish the relationship between the crime, the object with which the crime was committed and the accused. Unless it is proved in the court, the accused cannot be proven guilty,” she said.

She also pointed out that the absence of prime accused, Raju, is yet another issue that should be investigated. “We will certainly raise the issue as to why Raju was allowed to leave the country,” she added.

The Sharia Court of Sharjah had awarded death sentence in March 2010 to all the 17 accused finding them guilty of indulging in a deathly brawl over a business dispute in January 2009, which killed Misri and injured four others.