{
  "id": 1548168,
  "title": "Supreme Court acquits 3 men in 2014 case of burning Christian couple alive in Kasur",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/supreme-court-acquits-3-men-in-2014-case-of-burning-christian-couple-1548168",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T19:33:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2023491/supreme-court-acquits-3-men-in-2014-case-of-burning-christian-couple-alive-in-kasur"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Supreme Court has acquitted three men who were previously sentenced to death for the 2014 burning of a Christian couple alive in a brick kiln in Kasur's Kot Radha Kishan. The court rejected a state appeal against the acquittal of 102 other individuals in the case. The three men were previously given death sentences by an Anti-Terrorism Court in November 2016, following a frenzied mob attack on the Christian couple, accused of blasphemy. On November 4, 2014, the mob, incited by local mosques, attacked the couple and burned them to death in the furnace of the kiln. The Supreme Court overturned the death sentences, finding that the prosecution had failed to prove the case against the petitioners beyond a reasonable doubt. The court also acknowledged the shocking nature of the crime and emphasized the duty to ensure justice, stating that an innocent person should not be executed without reliable evidence. The court found contradictions in the prosecution's case and highlighted a lack of independent corroboration for the claims against the petitioners. The judgement noted that none of the decedent's relatives had become complainants in the case, nor had they signed any memorandum as witnesses. Additionally, the court found that no eye-witnesses were present at the scene when the incident occurred, and the petitioners did not show burn injuries or wear protective clothing near the furnace, creating reasonable doubt about their involvement. Consequently, the Supreme Court acquitted the three men and ordered their immediate release.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has acquitted three individuals who had been sentenced to death in a 2014 case in which a Christian couple was burned alive in a brick kiln in Kasur’s Kot Radha Kishan over blasphemy allegations. The court overturned the death sentences of the three men and acquitted them after giving them the “benefit of doubt”, the 26-page judgement said. The court also rejected a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nation Africa",
        "title": "Court halts extradition of three Kenyans to US over fraud case",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/court-halts-extradition-of-three-kenyans-to-us-over-fraud-case",
        "published": "2026-08-17T18:03:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "Supreme Court acquits 3 men in 2014 case of burning Christian couple alive in Kasur",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/supreme-court-acquits-3-men-in-2014-case-of-burning-christian-couple",
        "published": "2026-08-17T19:33:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}