NCA art journal: Petitioner moves high court over ‘SHO’s inaction’ against college admin, publishers

Sessions court had ordered petitioner’s version be recorded, law be followed.

LAHORE:

The petitioner who had first approached the sessions court for the registration of an FIR against the National College of Arts (NCA) administration and publishers of an art journal for “promoting homosexuality and mocking religious values” has now petitioned to the Lahore High Court.

Sohbet, an art journal is published jointly by NCA and One Nine Two (Pvt) Ltd.

The plea had been moved in the sessions court in the first week of June. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sajjad Ahmed had directed the Old Anarkali SHO, on June 18, to record the version of the petitioner and “proceed in accordance with the law”.

On Tuesday, Mumtaz Mangat, the petitioner’s counsel, appearing before the high court submitted that the SHO had neither recorded his version nor taken any action against the respondents.

After hearing initial arguments, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued notices, for September 6, to the college principal and editorial board of the magazine.

The plea, moved by Abid Ali Lone, seeks registration of an FIR against the respondents for publishing objectionable material which, according to the petitioner, hurt his religious feelings.

The petitioner has sought implementation of a lower court order, which, he says, ordered action against the respondents under Sections 295-A (outraging religious feelings) and 295-B (defiling the Holy Quran) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

When proceedings started, Mangat submitted that the respondents had tried to promote homosexuality and hurt religious values by publishing nude pictures and obscene caricatures of religious scholars. Mangat said that Lone had been “shocked” when he went through an article Shedding the Fig Leaf, written by Asim Akhtar. He contended that obscene literature and art could not be allowed in a Muslim society because it would lead to riots. Justice Bandial then summoned the advocate general and sought his assistance on the matter. The AG submitted that the issue was sensitive. He recommended that a committee be constituted to look into the matter and resolve it amicably. Mangat interjected, saying the public was already very angry with the NCA and that a mob attack might occur if the matter was delayed. He described the respondents as “snakes in the grass”. CJ Badial remarked that he did not want to hear the matter before Ramazan. To this Mangat said the judge should “first help the society get rid of this obscenity” and then observe fasts. However, the CJ adjourned the hearing till after Eid.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2012.