KARACHI: A sessions court on Wednesday issued a notice to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for Oct 15 (today) on an application challenging a magistrate’s order handing over TV anchor Iqrarul Hassan’s custody to the agency in a case pertaining to the alleged dissemination of anti-state content on social media.

A day earlier, a judicial magistrate had remanded Mr Hassan in the NCCIA custody for four days.

However, on Wednesday defence counsel Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq challenged the magistrate’s order before the district and sessions judge (East).

After the preliminary hearing, the court issued a notice to the NCCIA special prosecutor for Thursday (today).

In the application, the counsel submitted that Mr Hassan was picked up from his residence in Lahore “without following the mandatory legal procedure” and was produced before a link judge in Karachi, who had granted his four-day physical remand to the NCCIA.

He claimed that several digital devices, including four mobile phones and an iPad, were seized from Mr Hassan at the time of his arrest.

Referring to the impugned order of the judicial magistrate, the counsel contended that Section 167(3) of the criminal procedure code mandates that a magistrate should not authorise the detention of a suspect in police custody unless reasons are recorded.

He added that recording reasons should not be a mere formality but a mandatory requirement to ensure the judicial application of mind.

Barrister Ashfaq maintained that the impugned order did not disclose any “strong and exceptional grounds” to justify the drastic step of handing over the anchor in the NCCIA’s custody.

The counsel requested the court to set aside the magistrate’s order and discharge the anchor or he be remanded in judicial custody or released on bail, with or without surety.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026