The district and sessions court also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the suspects and ordered action under Section 514 (forfeiture of bond) of the CrPC against their guarantors.
The court earlier issued notices, bailable arrest warrants and non-bailable arrest warrants against the suspects for not turning up in court. On Friday, the court declared the suspects, members of the Ahmadia community, proclaimed offenders under Section 87 of the CrPC. Judge Raza directed the court ahalmad to initiate proceedings to seize the sureties submitted by the guarantors. The Islampura SHO and complainant were told to submit a report on suspects’ moveable assets by March 3.
The suspects were accused of publishing blasphemous literature at the Black Arrow Printing Press on January 7, 2013. The suspects applied for after-arrest bails in the sessions court but Additional District and Sessions Judge Shaukat Nadeem dismissed them. They approached the Lahore High Court which granted them bail. They told the court that they were innocent. They said the police had arrested them without a warrant after the complainant called the 15 hotline. Complainant’s counsel Mustafa Chaudhry said the suspects were planning to distribute the material in a market. Muhammad Tayyab filed a blasphemy complaint under Sections 295-B and 298-C of the PPC and 24-A of the PPO against four people working in binding and lamination department of the Black Arrow Printing Press. He said the suspects had loaded a Toyota van with blasphemous literature.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2015.
COMMENTS (4)
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I see how this gets out of control 1. An idiot accuses someone as Blasphemer and complaints to the police 2. The religiously purified police department walks into the place and the police decides that it is blasphemous material and files a case for prosecution.:- the accused is doomed from then on. 3. Court does not even bother on the evidence (materials) whether it is blasphemous or not. (what are there criteria to decide that ?) and issues an arrest warrant and gives bail for court prosecution 4. The accused secure bail with bail money and naturally the accused disappear:-How in the world they can prove that the material is not blasphemous.. 5. Court issues an arrest warrant and seizure of bail security for their failure to appear in court. 6. The accused is now confirmed Blasphemer and if they are caught they will be either killed or rot in jail. 7. Court moves on to next case.
So, how did the court decide that the material they had was blasphemous. Should it not be the issue here before even the arrest warrant was issued. If just a complaint is good enough for this nightmare to start, anyone can file a complaint against anyone. The next is coming on you !