The Lahore High Court has granted bail to a minor Christian accused (at the time of arrest) in a First Information Report (FIR) of blasphemy filed in different police stations of Sargodha.
The accused was initially arrested in an FIR registered by Satellite Town Police on July 16, 2023, and was later named in 2 more cases of different police stations on mere suspicion.
The court had declared the accused a minor at the time of arrest on July 20, 2024.
Sargodha’s Karna Police had registered a second FIR No. 454 under Sections 295A and B of the PPC on August 20, 2023.
While granting bail, Justice Asjad Javed Ghoral said that the petitioner was not named in the crime report, but the case was registered through the supplementary statement of the complainant.
The judge said that the petitioner was a minor at the time of the alleged incident, but surprisingly, the police have not submitted a challan (charge sheet) despite the lapse of more than a year and a half of his imprisonment.
He said that the petitioner cannot be kept behind bars for an indefinite period as a preventive punishment, especially when the end of the case is not in sight soon.
Justice Asjad Javed Ghoral ruled that the petitioner has never been proven to be a hardened criminal.
While granting bail to the petitioner, the court directed him to submit a surety bond of Rs 100,000, however, the accused will remain behind bars as his bail application in the third case is still pending in the Lahore High Court.
In December last year, Justice Muhammad Waheed Khan had granted bail to a Christian man in the first FIR No. 856 of Satellite Town police station.
