LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Sunday released five individuals, including two transpersons, who were arrested for allegedly organising an ‘objectionable’ private party in the provincial capital, dismissing the case due to lack of evidence.

The police had arrested two transgender persons, Ishal Hassan and Arooj Butt, along with three others Janan, Muhammad Ali, and Sawal Shahid on Saturday. The arrests followed allegations that they had arranged a private gathering promoting ‘obscenity’.

The Naseerabad police had registered a case against 50-60 individuals, including transpersons, under sections 292 (sale of obscene material), 292-A (printing/advertising obscene matter), and 294 (obscene acts in public) of the Pakistan Penal Code, as well as Section 6 of the Sound System Act.

The FIR claimed that footage from the Aug 1 event contained ‘explicit content,’ sparking public outcry and prompting police action.

The incident gained attention after fashion designer Maria B shared videos of the private gathering on social media, calling for action against the attendees and labeling the event as “against the moral values of the country”.

Magistrate found the allegations forged and concocted

Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Faisal Kamran took notice and ordered arrests, stating that “promoting obscenity under the guise of a party or photoshoot is a serious legal offense”. He commented that illegal and unethical acts would not be tolerated in any form.

Police raided the house where the event was held, detaining the owner Janan, his friend Muhammad Ali, and office boy Sawal Shahid. A subsequent raid early Sunday led to the arrests of Ishal Hassan and Arooj Butt.

However, when presented before a duty magistrate in Model Town Court, the investigating officer’s request for physical remand was rejected.

Advocate Haider Butt, representing those arrested, argued that no concrete evidence linked them to the alleged offenses.

In his detailed order, the magistrate noted that the police had failed to recover any obscene material, sound systems, or vulgar clothing from the scene. No eyewitness statements were recorded, and no private witnesses were involved in the raid.

The magistrate observed that the suspects appeared to have been implicated based on ‘forged and concocted facts’ with no incriminating evidence on record.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2025