LHC acquits couple in blasphemy case

THE Lahore High Court on Thursday acquitted a couple on death row seven years after their conviction for alleged blasphemy. The division bench, headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, allowed the appeal of Shafqat Emmanuel and his wife Shagufta Maseeh against their conviction by a trial court.

The bench had reserved its verdict on the appeal a day earlier after hearing detailed arguments of the parties.

Advocate Saiful Malook represented the appellants before the bench, whereas the complainants were represented by Advocate Chaudhry Ghulam Mustafa.

In his arguments, the defence counsel maintained that the trial court ignored the basic principles of criminal justice and committed error in its decision. He further submitted that the trial court had committed material irregularity in misreading the evidence on record that caused serious miscarriage of justice.

He pleaded with the court to set aside the trial court sentence and acquit his clients.

However, the complainant’s counsel opposed the plea, stating that the trial court made the decision on merit after the prosecution succeeded in proving its case on the basis of independent and impeachable evidence.

Shafqat, watchman of Gojra’s Saint Cathedral School, and his wife were arrested on July 25, 2013, under Section 295-C, allegedly on the charge of sending blasphemous text messages to the complainants – a shopkeeper, Malik Muhammad Hussain, and Gojra tehsil bar’s former president, Anwar Mansoor Goraya.

In April 2014, an additional district and sessions judge of Toba Tek Singh handed down death sentence to the couple for blasphemy and fined Rs100,000 each.