LAHORE, April 12: The Lahore High Court on Friday admitted for hearing poet Ahmad Faraz’s appeal in a copyright case and issued notice to the respondent for May 6.

The poet said Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry of Maktaba-i-Shair-o-Adab had been publishing pirated editions of his books. A case was registered and the accused was prosecuted. However, the trial court acquitted him midway under Section 249-A of the Criminal Procedure Code ‘as the material on record was not sufficient to warrant conviction.’

The appellant said the trial court prematurely recorded its judgment without hearing a number of witnesses, and without recoding the statement of the accused under Section 340 (2) or 342 of CrPC. A number of pirated books recovered from the accused and mentioning his name as printer and publisher were also ignored.

Holding that points raised needed consideration, Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif summoned the trial court record and issued bailable warrants in the sum of Rs20,000 with one surety to ensure the presence of the respondent on May 6, the next date of hearing.