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Lahore Court Grants Bail to Five Accused in Bhati Gate Manhole Deaths Case
A Lahore court has granted bail to five accused in the Bhati Gate manhole tragedy after a compromise between the parties, while noting that full diyat was not paid under the law.
ND
by News Desk
2026-02-10
Lahore Court Grants Bail to Five Accused in Bhati Gate Manhole Deaths Case

A Lahore district court has issued a written order granting bail to five accused in the case involving the deaths of a woman and her infant daughter who fell into an open manhole near Bhati Gate last month, following a settlement between the affected family and the accused.

The three-page order was issued by a judicial magistrate at the District Courts, Lahore. Those granted bail include Project Manager Asghar Sandhu, safety in-charge Hanzala, site in-charge Ahmed Nawaz, and contractors Salman Yaseen and Usman Yaseen. The contractors were produced before the court in police custody, while the remaining accused appeared on bail.

The tragic incident occurred near Data Darbar, where 24-year-old Sadia Sajid and her 10-month-old daughter, Rida Fatima, fell into an uncovered sewer line. Rescue 1122 recovered Sadia’s body nearly six hours later, while the infant’s body was retrieved around 16 hours after the incident following an extensive search operation.

During the proceedings, Sajid Hussain, father of the deceased Sadia and the complainant in the case registered at Bhati Gate police station, recorded his statement before the court. He stated that contractors Salman Yaseen and Usman Yaseen had paid compensation to him and his son-in-law.

“I have forgiven all the accused for the sake of Allah and have no objection to their discharge, acquittal, or release on bail,” he told the court, adding that his statement was made of his own free will and without any coercion.

Ghulam Murtaza, husband of Sadia Sajid and father of the deceased infant, also recorded his statement. According to the court order, he confirmed that diyat (blood money) had been paid to both him and his father-in-law, and that he had forgiven the accused without objection to their release.

The court order noted that under the compromise, Ghulam Murtaza received Rs8.5 million, while Sajid Hussain received Rs2.5 million.

However, the court observed that although the statements of forgiveness were significant, the compensation paid did not constitute full diyat as prescribed under the law. As a result, the accused could not be discharged from the case at this stage.

Taking into account that the complainant and legal heirs no longer wished to pursue the matter further, the court granted bail to all five accused against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.

The case was registered by Bhati Gate police following the incident, which sparked widespread public outrage and renewed concerns over uncovered manholes and poor civic safety standards in Lahore.
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