The hearing in a Dh1.5million civil compensation suit against 17 Indians who had earlier won a reprieve from death sentence will continue in the Sharjah Civil Court of First Instance on February 15.

The civil case against the 17 men, who were convicted of killing Pakistani national Misri Nazir Khan during a fight between two bootlegging gangs in Sharjah, was registered by two brothers who were allegedly attacked in the same brawl.

It was registered since the verdict of the Sharjah Court of Appeals, which revoked the death sentence for the convicts, did not tackle the charge of assault in the same case.

The Pakistani brothers, Mushtaq Ahmed and Shahid Iqbal, claim that they, along with a brother of Khan, were injured during the brawl in which Khan was killed in January 2009. They are demanding a compensation of Dh1.5m saying that they lost their jobs and can no longer work due to the multiple injuries they sustained in the attack.

The defence counsel of the 17 men hired by the Indian government had earlier said that the proceedings of the civil case were likely to be kept in abeyance till the Federal Supreme Court took a decision on an appeal challenging the verdict of the Appellate Court.

With the Supreme Court directing the Appellate Court to reopen the criminal case by charging the 17 men with bootlegging in December, it had become apparent that the compensation case would continue in the Civil Court.

On Sunday, the Civil Court held the third hearing in the case and adjourned it for the next hearing on February 15.

In its last hearing on the civil damages case, the judge had asked the petitioners’ advocate to submit the medical reports that support the civil damages claim by his clients. It is expected that the duo will have to undergo fresh medical examination as well to prove the percentage of injuries and disabilities caused to them.

Meanwhile, the judgement of the Appellate Court regarding the charge of bootlegging against the 17 men in the same case is scheduled to be pronounced on February 1. The Appellate Court, which began trying them again during the first week of January, had previously commuted their death sentence following a pardon they had received from Khan’s family after the payment of a record blood money of Dh3.4 million.