PESHAWAR, Oct 24: The Peshawar High Court on Friday granted bail to a woman accused of adultery as she was in advance stage of her pregnancy.

A single bench comprising Justice Malik Hamid Saeed ordered that she should be released after furnishing two sureties of Rs100,000 each.

The applicant, Bukht Sultana, is also having a four-year daughter with her in prison.

Sultana, mother of six, was accused by husband Mahmood Jan of eloping with a man identified as Sadiq Khan. An FIR was lodged with Dargai police in Malakand on April 8 and she was arrested on July 5.

Advocate Astaghfirullah, appearing for the applicant, said she was falsely implicated in the case. He contended that Sultana was having strained relations with her husband and had filed a suit for divorce.

Referring to the charge by Sadiq Khan that Sultana’s pregnancy was a proof of adultery, the lawyer contended that in the light of Federal Shariat Court’s judgment in Zafran Bibi case last year pregnancy could not be considered a proof for commission of adultery or fornication.

He said Sultana was in advance stage of pregnancy and needed special care which was not available in prison.