The release of Abdul Rahim, the Kozhikode native who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for the last 18 years, continues to be uncertain as the Riyadh Criminal Court that heard his case on Monday (December 30), has postponed the verdict for the fifth time. The court noted that the case was to be further analysed before coming up with a verdict and has scheduled the next hearing for January 15.
Mr. Rahim was sentenced to death in 2006 for the murder of a 15-year-old Saudi boy, the son of his sponsor. After 18 years, the family of the victim granted him a pardon after receiving blood money of ₹34 crore, which relieved Mr. Rahim from the death sentence. However, he is currently being tried for a public offence, the fifth hearing of which was held on Monday.
The first sitting held on October 21 was postponed citing that there was a change in the Bench and that the same Bench that revoked his death sentence should handle the rest of the case. The hearing on November 17 also did not earn the required result as the Bench demanded time to study the case further. The next sitting was held on December 8 in which the defence could provide the explanation that the prosecution had sought. The court scheduled the date for the verdict on December 12, but it was postponed to December 30 citing technical reasons.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rahim’s mother Fathima expressed her disappointment over the postponement and requested not to further delay her son’s release. Though the Ministry of External Affairs has completed the final exit procedures for Mr. Rahim, any release order has to be approved by a higher court before he is released.
Published – December 30, 2024 08:20 pm IST