Priyantha Kumara lynching: Convict challenges death sentence in LHC

LAHORE: The convict, Taimoor, in the Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara lynching case has filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging his death penalty and other sentences handed down by the ATC, ARY News reported on Monday.

An anti-terrorism court in Gujranwala awarded death sentences to six accused over their role in the lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara at a Sialkot factory.

ATC in its verdict in the Priyantha Kumara case awarded death sentences to six convicts, 14-year-jail to seven others and two years of punishment to the other 76 accused of their alleged role in the case.

The anti-terrorism court (ATC) initiated the Sialkot lynching incident’s trial at Kot Lakhpat Jail in early March and judge Natasha Naseem led the proceedings into the case.

Taimoor, convicted over his role in the lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara and awarded the death penalty, on Monday filed an appeal through his counsel in the Lahore High Court (IHC) against his conviction.

The plea filed through his advocate mainly argue that the prosecution failed to prove the guilt of the accused on the basis of evidence.

“The suspect, Taimoor, is accused of killing Sri Lankan national with a brick but the forensic report ruled out brick as a cause of Priyantha Kumara’s death,” the petitioner maintained.

The petitioner urged LHC to overturn ATC’s death penalty in Sri Lankan citizen lynching case.

Priyantha Kumara, a 49-year-old Sri Lankan national, was lynched by a mob of workers at a factory on December 3, where he was working as a manager.

A first information report (FIR) was registered against hundreds of unidentified men, including workers of the factory