Sharjah Court adjourns civil case against 17 Indians to May 7

New Delhi, April 24 (ANI): A Sharjah Court that was hearing a case against 17 Indian nationals for their role in the alleged murder of a Pakistani national, has adjourned the civil case till May 7.

The case has been filed by two Pakistani brothers before the Sharjah Civil Court of First Instance alleging that that they were assaulted by the 17 men during a group fight of bootleggers in which another Pakistani expatriate, Misri Nazir Khan, was killed in January 2009.

A member of the court's medical panel submitted a medical report to the court, which had, in its last hearing, ordered the medical assessment of the injuries and disabilities sustained by the petitioners, Mushtaq Ahmed and Shahid Iqbal.

The report regarding the injuries and disability stated that one person sustained 30 percent injury while the other of the complainant sustained 10 percent injury.

"A copy of the medical report presented to the court today was given to the advocates of the defendants and the petitioners as well...and the court adjourned the case to May 7'', said Indian businessmen and philanthropist S P Singh Oberoi, who has been waging a legal battle to secure the release of the jailed Indians.

He added that now that the medical evidence of the petitioners' disabilities has been submitted, their lawyers will defend the case at the next hearing.

The court is expected to look into the extent of injuries and permanent disabilities sustained by the brothers, who have claimed that they were left jobless after the incident.

The 17 men were spared the death sentence awarded by an appellate court after being pardoned by Khan's family.

A record blood money of around Rs.8 crores, which was raised by Mr.Oberoi, and paid to the complainants.

The court had recently reduced the youth's sentence to two years in prison followed by deportation.

The same court, had in February, sentenced them to another six months' imprisonment for bootlegging.

This followed a reopening of the case as the Federal Supreme Court referred the criminal case back to the Appeals Court.

The prosecution had appealed against the previous judgment of the Appeal Court in the apex court, citing that the former had not considered the charges of bootlegging and assault.

However, the convicts did not have to serve the additional jail term, as they had already spent more than three years in jail.

The release of the 17 men, 16 from Punjab and one from Haryana, can now happen only after the civil case is closed. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)