PHOTO: REUTERS
The bench, headed by Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, ordered the release of Adnan Prince, a resident of Lahore, against a bail bond worth Rs300,000.
Bail plea of blasphemy suspect dismissed
Prince was in Jail since November 9, 2013 following registration of an FIR against him under sections 295-A, 295-B and 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code. Advocate Nadeem Anthony, one of the counsels for the accused, said the suspect is presently in Lahore district jail. His bail application had already been dismissed by a district judge and the Lahore High Court.
Asma Jahangir, lead counsel of the accused, said that her client had been behind bars for three years and three months.
She said the case against him should have been decided within two years and this did not take place due to lawyers’ strikes and delaying tactics by the prosecution.
Jahangir said legal formalities could not be fulfilled when investigating the matter. She said according to guidelines passed by the SC, a police officer, not below the rank of a superintendent, should have conducted the probe. She added there were no direct eyewitnesses and all forensic evidence failed to link the accused.
Blasphemy case: Court dismisses suspect's plea seeking medical exam
She said there was a strong possibility of his release and few chances of a decision in the case in the near future. She requested the court to grant him bail.
Advocate Nadeem Anthony told The Express Tribune that an FIR was lodged against Prince after he was accused of remarks against a Jamatud Dawa (JD) leader.
He said that on the court’s directions, sections 295-A and 295-B had already been dropped from the case and he is facing 295-C, the punishment for which is death.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2017.
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