KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a senior lawyer and also stayed the proceedings of the trial against him.

A single-judge bench headed by Justice Omar Sial observed that two FIRs had already been lodged against the applicant on identical grounds and no further case should be registered against him without SHC’s permission.

It also directed the inspector general of police to review the service record of the SHO of the City Courts police station to determine whether he was performing his duty of maintaining religious peace and harmony in a natural, professional and capable manner.

Allowing the bail to the applicant lawyer against a surety bond of Rs1,000, the bench said that the proceedings of the case was being stayed till the investigating officer put on record an opinion on the meaning of and ambit of the phrase “ahley-bait” as used in Section 298-B(c) of the Pakistan Penal Code together with a list of religious scholoars who will appear as witnesses.

The City Courts police had booked and arrested a senior lawyer from the Ahmadi community last month on the complaint of another lawyer in an alleged blasphemy case.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2023