KARACHI: A sessions court on Wednesday dismissed another bail application filed by Dania Shah in a case pertaining to alleged leaking of personal videos of her late spouse Aamir Liaquat Hussain on social media.

She was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency in Lodhran on Dec 15 last year after being booked for filming her husband and sharing his personal and intimate videos on social media.

On Wednesday, District and Sessions Judge (East) Abdul Naeem Memon pronounced his order reserved earlier after hearing arguments from the defence and the prosecution.

The applicant approached the sessions court after a judicial magistrate dismissed her bail plea.

Her counsel Liaquat Ali Gabol argued that the FIA had no evidence to prove the charges against his client, who was a legally wedded wife of the late Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker and couldn’t imagine defaming or humiliating him.

He stated that she had been implicated in a false case and that the FIA had not yet submitted a final charge sheet in the case and requested the judge to grant her post-arrest bail.

On the other hand, the FIA prosecutor submitted that there was sufficient evidence to link the suspect with the commissioning of the alleged offence. He added that the investigators had retrieved the videos from the social media networking websites, etc.

Arguing that Ms Shah was not entitled to bail at the present stage of the case, the prosecutor asked the judge to dismiss the same for lacking merits.

Dua Aamir, daughter of the late TV anchor, had lodged an FIR against Dania Shah under Sections 20 (malicious code), 21 (cyberstalking) and 24 (legal recognition of offences committed in relation to information system) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.

Earlier, a judicial magistrate had also dismissed her bail plea, observing that the evidence secured during the probe apparently connected Dania Shah with the alleged offence.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2023