LAHORE: A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to a man arrested on the allegation of distributing hate material and raising funds for banned outfits.

The bench headed by Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry observed that 11 months had passed after the arrest of the petitioner and police had failed to even investigate basic questions of the case. Police did not know the persons to whom the petitioner allegedly distributed hate material and who the publisher of the material was.

The bench said the police officials should be ashamed of implicating citizens in fabricated cases.

The Sabzazar police had registered a case under the Protection of Pakistan Act (POPA) against Moazzam Rasheed accusing him of distributing hate material against the army.

A deputy prosecutor told court that cases registered under POPA could not be assailed at any judicial forum. However, the bench allowed the petition and released the petitioner on bail.

PLEAS DISMISSED: The Lahore High Court dismissed bail petitions of five members of a banned organisation.

The Ghalib Market police had arrested Shahzad Ahmad, Nafees and three others on charges of spreading hatred against the army.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2015