HARIPUR: An additional sessions judge on Wednesday sentenced a man to life over desecration of the Holy Quran.

According to the prosecution record, the Sera-i-Saleh police had arrested Ch Mohammad Ayaz, a resident of Baldhair village, on the complaint of his wife on Sept 13, 2015.

The complainant had told the police that she was living in a rented house with her husband and three children. OnSept 13, she said after heated arguments with her over some family matter, he, in a fit of anger, took out a copy of the Holy Quran from the cupboard and defiled it.

The police recovered the desecrated copy of the holy book and registered a criminal case against the accused under section 295-B of the blasphemy law. After a five-year trial, the court of additional sessions judge-III, Shah Wali Khan, convicted Ayaz and sentenced him to life (25 years).

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2020