A sessions court has awarded a collective sentence of 21 years’ imprisonment to a man for depriving his sisters of their rightful share in inheritance through forgery and deceit.
Sohail Majeed, along with his brother Mansoor Majeed, had been charged with usurping the share of their seven sisters in their late father’s house in the city’s PECHS locality by having the property transferred to the male legal heirs, including their third deceased brother Owais, and later selling it to a builder for Rs125 million.
In January 2020, a first information report (FIR) was registered at the Ferozabad police station under sections 498-A (prohibition of depriving woman from inheriting property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Additional Sessions Judge (East) Muhammad Mehboob Awan announced his verdict after recording evidence and arguments of the counsel representing the parties.
He sentenced accused Sohail to seven years in prison for the offence of depriving his sisters of their rightful shares in inheritance, five years for committing forgery, two years for using forged documents, five years for cheating and dishonesty, and two years for mischief.
The convict was told to pay a cumulative fine of over Rs1 million or undergo additional imprisonment of one year and two months on default.Following the pronouncement of the judgement, the convict was taken into custody and remanded to the central prison to serve out the sentences that will run concurrently. The court, however, acquitted accused Mansoor by giving him the benefit of the doubt.
In the 14-page verdict, the judge noted that the evidence available on record led him to form the inescapable view that Sohail acted with a “pre-conceived motive” to deprive his sisters of their shares in the property, and to this end, the alleged forged documents were prepared and submitted to the society’s office to transfer the property.
All the property documents, including the mutation order dated 17-11-2018, showed the names of the three brothers, he said, adding that at this juncture, a prudent mind is forced to think why the accused concealed the fact that he had sisters, who were alive.
