LHC grants bail to man convicted under PECA law in objectionable photos case
Pakistan
Lahore High Court suspends Salman Mirza's 3-year sentence under PECA in photo-sharing case, grants bail with Rs100,000 surety. Court cites lack of evidence and personal vendetta.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – The Lahore High Court has suspended the three-year prison sentence of Salman Mirza, who was convicted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) in case related to allegedly sharing objectionable pictures of his cousin.
The court also granted him bail, ordering his release upon furnishing surety bonds worth Rs100,000.
A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Sardar Ali Akbar Dogar, heard the appeal for suspending jail sentence.
During the proceedings, Mirza's lawyer, Advocate Mian Dawood, argued that the trial court's verdict was unjustified. Mirza had been sentenced to prison for allegedly stealing and sharing objectionable images of his cousin. However, both the complainant and the affected party testified in court that Mirza had not shared any such material.
Advocate Daud further contended that the prosecution had failed to prove any of the charges during the trial.
Despite this, the trial court had handed down the sentence. Daud suggested that the case was part of a personal vendetta, alleging that Mirza’s relatives had framed him in a false case to take control of his late mother’s property.
According to the law, defendants sentenced to three years or less are entitled to petition for sentence suspension and bail. After reviewing the case details and hearing the defense's arguments, the LHC bench suspended Mirza's sentence and allowed his release on bail.
