Islamabad: The Superior Court of Lahore (LHC), Rawalpindi Bench, has absolved a man previously sentenced to death for charges of blasphemy, citing insufficient evidence and inconsistencies in witness testimonies.
Sajid Ali, son of Mohsin Khan, was accused of making derogatory comments against religious personalities. It was reserved on April 14, 2020, in a case registered in Hasanabdal, Attock.
He was accused under section 295-C of the Pakistan Criminal Code (PPC), which demands the death penalty for derogatory comments against the Holy Prophet (La Paz is with him), Section 298-A, which criminalizes offensive comments against the family and the companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), with a penalty of up to three years in prison.
After a trial, Hasanabdal’s additional sessions sentenced Sajid to death in 2023, with a fine of RS100,000. He was also sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment under section 298-A of the PPC. However, Saxid challenged the decision before the LHC.
Inconsistencies in witness accounts, insufficient evidence cited to revoke the decision of the Court of First Instance
His lawyer, the defender of Tania Bazai, argued that the case was manufactured and the Prosecutor’s Office did not provide credible evidence to support the accusations against her client.
The lawyer highlighted the inconsistencies in the testimonies of the witnesses of prosecution, some of which provided “conflicting versions of the alleged incident.” He argued that the FIR was registered days after the alleged comments were made. The Prosecutor’s Office did not present any direct or physical evidence that would link the accused with these comments, he argued.
After reviewing the case, the court considered that the evidence against Sajid is not conclusive and insufficient to maintain a conviction. The court indicated that the testimonies of witnesses of prosecution contained serious contradictions, undermining their credibility.
Subsequently, the Bank of LHC revoked the verdict of the Court of First Instance and ordered the immediate release of Saxid, leaving aside the death sentence.
Posted in Dawn, February 16, 2025
