Court turns down acquittal pleas of two suspects in blasphemy case
The men were arrested allegedly for printing and binding sacrilegious books last July۔
KARACHI:
A district and sessions court has turned down the acquittal appeals of two suspects allegedly involved in printing and binding sacrilegious material in July last year.
First additional district and sessions judge South, Shahid Hussain Chandio, disposed of two applications for acquittal, stating that the material available with the prosecution showed that the “charges were not groundless”.
In the FIR (181/11), the complainant, Muhammad Akram, alleged that at 11am on July 29, 2011, he was passing through a market where he saw some books with presumptive sketches of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), his companions and Prophet Ibrahim (ah).
The plaintiff and some other people gathered on the spot and handed over two suspects to the police. They were taken to the Arambagh police station and were booked under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The book’s translator, layout designer, a book binder and another man were also named but have not been arrested yet.
Police claim that the suspects had confessed to their involvement in printing and binding the content during interrogation. On August 8, 2011, after the complainant informed the police that a few printing plates carrying blasphemous images were lying at a printing press, 55 steel printing plates were seized.
The lawyers of both suspects contended that they were innocent and had not committed the alleged offence. They further argued that there was no direct evidence against them. The charges against them were groundless and there was no possibility of conviction in the case, they added.
The deputy district public prosecutor appearing on behalf of the state vehemently opposed the applications on the ground that the men were arrested on the spot and sacrilegious books were seized from them. The men didn’t challenge the allegations or the sections mentioned in the FIR, he argued.
“In these circumstances, I find no merit in both applications,” stated the judge while dismissing the applications after hearing the advocates. The hearing was put off till November 14.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2012.
A district and sessions court has turned down the acquittal appeals of two suspects allegedly involved in printing and binding sacrilegious material in July last year.
First additional district and sessions judge South, Shahid Hussain Chandio, disposed of two applications for acquittal, stating that the material available with the prosecution showed that the “charges were not groundless”.
In the FIR (181/11), the complainant, Muhammad Akram, alleged that at 11am on July 29, 2011, he was passing through a market where he saw some books with presumptive sketches of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), his companions and Prophet Ibrahim (ah).
The plaintiff and some other people gathered on the spot and handed over two suspects to the police. They were taken to the Arambagh police station and were booked under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The book’s translator, layout designer, a book binder and another man were also named but have not been arrested yet.
Police claim that the suspects had confessed to their involvement in printing and binding the content during interrogation. On August 8, 2011, after the complainant informed the police that a few printing plates carrying blasphemous images were lying at a printing press, 55 steel printing plates were seized.
The lawyers of both suspects contended that they were innocent and had not committed the alleged offence. They further argued that there was no direct evidence against them. The charges against them were groundless and there was no possibility of conviction in the case, they added.
The deputy district public prosecutor appearing on behalf of the state vehemently opposed the applications on the ground that the men were arrested on the spot and sacrilegious books were seized from them. The men didn’t challenge the allegations or the sections mentioned in the FIR, he argued.
“In these circumstances, I find no merit in both applications,” stated the judge while dismissing the applications after hearing the advocates. The hearing was put off till November 14.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2012.