A division bench of the Sindh High Court dismissed Friday the states appeal and upheld the acquittal of three activists of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in a murder case. LJ activists Muhammad Ajmal alias Akram Lahori, Attaullah alias Qasim and Muhammad Azam were acquitted by Anti-Terrorism Court Karachi-IV on April 30, 2003, giving them the benefit of the doubt.According to the prosecution, they killed by firing Shaukat Raza Mirza, the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) managing director, at Race Course roundabout on July 26, 2001. Representing the state, AAG Habib Ahmed and Special Prosecutor I A Hashmi submitted that the trial court, instead of discussing the evidence of eyewitnesses examined by the prosecution, had discussed at length non-examined eyewitnesses. They stated that the accused killed the deceased for sectarian reasons therefore they did not deserve any leniency. They prayed the court to set aside the trial court order, examine the witnesses of the impugned judgment and convict the accused of the offence, which they committed. Defence counsel M R Syed and A Rasheed Nizamani, opposing the states appeal, supported the trial court judgment. The SHCs division bench, comprising Justice Rahmat Hussain Jaferi and Justice Munib Ahmed Khan, for reasons to be recorded separately, dismissed the states appeal against the trial court judgment and upheld the acquittal of the LJ activists.