Lahore Blasphemy Case Acquittal Raises Evidence Standards
LAHORE: A sessions court in Lahore has acquitted a man accused in a blasphemy case after finding that the prosecution failed to establish a reliable link between the accused and the alleged desecration of sacred pages.
The case was registered by police in April 2024 under Sections 295-A and 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code. The complainant had alleged that he saw a man near Shadman Chowk placing papers containing sacred verses under his feet, while more pages were reportedly found scattered on the road.
The trial began in January 2025, with the accused denying the allegation and maintaining that he was not present at the scene. After examining the record, the additional district and sessions judge concluded that the prosecution case suffered from serious gaps in witness identification, evidence handling and digital verification.
The court noted that the complainant, despite narrating the incident, did not identify the accused in court as the person he allegedly saw at the location. Another private witness also failed to identify the accused, while a security guard said to be an important eyewitness was not produced by the prosecution.
The judge also rejected reliance on CCTV material in the manner it was presented. The prosecution had submitted a CD said to contain footage from Punjab Safe Cities Authority cameras, but the video was not played in court, no technical official was examined, and no forensic expert verified the material.
According to the judgment, the digital evidence could not be accepted merely because a storage device had been recovered. The court held that questions of authenticity, tampering, source verification and legal admissibility had to be properly addressed before such material could be treated as proof in a criminal trial.
Investigators had also claimed that a rickshaw recovered from the scene was connected to the accused. However, the court found that police did not produce verified ownership or registration documents to establish that link, weakening another part of the prosecution’s case.
The judgment stressed that the sanctity of the Holy Quran was beyond dispute, but the seriousness of an allegation could not replace the legal requirement of proof. The court referred to established principles under which any reasonable doubt arising from prosecution evidence must benefit the accused.
Blasphemy cases in Pakistan often carry intense public sensitivity, making careful investigation and courtroom scrutiny especially important. Legal experts have repeatedly argued that weak evidence, public pressure or flawed police work can undermine justice for both complainants and accused persons.
The acquittal places renewed focus on professional evidence collection, witness protection, forensic examination and due process in sensitive criminal cases. The accused has been ordered released in the case, while the recovered sacred pages are to be handled and disposed of according to legal and religious respect.