LHC approves bail plea of man who 'set his wife on fire'

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday approved the bail plea of a man suspected of killing his wife after setting her on fire in 2014 over delay in the trial process, ARY NEWS reported.

Justice Muhammad Waheed Khan of the Lahore High Court (LHC) approved the bail of Irfan Masih against the surety bonds of Rs200,000 who is blamed for setting his wife on fire in 2014 within the remits of Phoolnagar police station in Kasur district.

The court observed that no witness testified against him since 2014. “With such a delay in the trial process, the suspect is eligible to obtain bail,” the court remarked and added that a fair and speedy trial is the right of the suspect, and denying it would be the denial of justice.

The LHC bench further directed the prosecution to complete the trial in the case within three months.

Horrific incidents of women being set on fire by their husbands have been reported repeatedly and in March this year, in yet another incident of horrific domestic abuse, a woman allegedly set on fire by her husband a week back in Sukkur died owing to serious burn wounds.

The incident had occurred a week back at Shikarpur crossing where a man was alleged to have set his wife on fire. She was treated for her burn wounds for a week at a local hospital.

The police while commenting on the matter said that they were investigating if it was an accident or a deliberate act.