Man jailed for life over sacrilegious act after quarrel with wife

A sessions court on Saturday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for desecrating the Holy Quran after a quarrel with his wife in North Karachi.

The additional sessions judge (Central) found the accused guilty of offence punishable under Section 295-B (defiling of Holy Quran) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The convict was extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Criminal Procedure Code, under which his detention period since his arrest will be counted in his prison term.

The judge ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing the case against the accused beyond any shadow of doubt. “It is proved that the accused violated the law of land as well as committed the sin by burning the Holy Quran. He is also the sinner of Almighty Allah and also destroyed the emotions of society,” she said, quoting verses from the holy book.

The judge noted that the woman had called the police helpline 15 and when the police arrived, she handed over to them a plastic bag containing the burned Holy Quran pages and pointed out the place where it was burned. The police also recorded a video of the place, which was produced before the court, she added.

State prosecutor Hina Naz Shams contended that on Feb 21, 2022, the woman lodged an FIR at the Taimuria police station saying she had married the accused a year ago. The accused would quarrel and maltreat the complainant, she said, adding that on Feb 20, the accused qurrelled with his wife over her using mobile phone, after which he took out the Holy Quran from an almirah and desecrated it.

The complainant testified that she had been residing with the accused and got khula after the incident. She said her husband would ask her to swear on the Holy Quran. She also produced a video which purportedly showed that she took oath on the holy book on the instruction of her husband but he was not satisfied with her and desecrated the holy book in a fit of rage.

The woman said the incident took place on the night between Feb 20 and 21 after she and her husband returned from a party. She deposed that the accused objected to her using a mobile phone and asked whom she was talking to. She said he made her swear on the Holy Quran that he was not talking to anyone.

Recounting the harrowing details, the woman said her husband didn’t believe her and expressed his intention to set fire to the Holy Quran, adding that when she stopped him from doing so, he beat her up with a belt.

He sprinkled perfume over it after it didn’t catch fire with a gas lighter, she recalled.

The complainant said it was in the afternoon next day when she informed the police while he was asleep at home.

In his statement under Section 342 of the CrPC, the victim claimed that his wife, now separated, falsely implicated him in this case for having some extramarital affair with a person.