INDIA: MPHC CANCELS CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

the Madhya Pradesh High Court in India cancelled the capital punishment of a man who was held guilty by a lower court for immolating eight people, including four women. The State High Court joint bench, comprising Justice A K Shrivastav and Justice S A Nakali, cancelled the death sentence of Mohammad Farooq alias Nan and acquitted him after hearing his petition. The allegation against the accused was not proved and he was not even identified. The prosecution said following an old enmity, Farooq poured petrol on a house burning alive its eight occupants- Imtiaz, Naseem Bi, Rubina, Sabina, Abdul Hamid, Mumtaz and two others. Bhopal's Additional District and Sessions Judge R Chandra awarded capital punishment to Farooq on June 7, 2008.