SHARJAH // The compensation case against 17 Indian men who allegedly injured two other men in a bootlegging fight three years ago has been adjourned until February 15.
The men were found guilty of killing a man during the same brawl in Sharjah in 2009 - a brawl prosecutors claimed was part of a bootlegging turf war - but were spared the death sentence after paying Dh3.4 million in blood money to the victim's family last year.
Earlier this month, the convicted men denied a further charge of possessing and selling alcohol.
The men who claim they were injured in the fight have filed a Dh1.5 million compensation claim against the 17 Indians. Previously, the Court of First Instance had asked them to submit medical reports to substantiate their claim.
The Sharjah Court of First Instance today adjourned the compensation hearing to the middle of next month. The Sharjah Court of Appeal is expected to pronounce its verdict in a criminal hearing against the accused on Wednesday.
The appeals court commuted the men's murder sentences to two years, but they were not released because public prosecutors referred the judgment to the Federal Supreme Court, claiming that the verdict had not taken into consideration the two men who were injured, or the alcohol charges.
However, in December of last year, the apex court transferred the case back to the appeal court, ordering it to review only the charges of possession and sale of alcohol.
pkannan@thenational.ae
