Court dismisses bail plea of Orya Maqbool Jan

LAHORE: A sessions court on Tuesday dismissed the bail petition of former bureaucrat and senior media analyst Orya Maqbool Jan in a cybercrime case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Qamar heard the post-arrest bail petition. Earlier, Jan's counsel, Mian Ali Ishfaq, argued before the court that the FIA had registered a case against his client based on mere assumptions. He submitted that the agency did not have any evidence against his client, and no recovery was made from him. He pleaded with the court to grant bail to his client, as his custody was no longer required for investigations.

However, the FIA's prosecutor opposed the bail petition and requested the court to dismiss it.

The court reserved its verdict for a short while. Later the court dismissed the bail petition of Orya Maqbool Jan.

The FIA had registered a case against the media analyst on charges of spreading religious hatred and making statements against institutions.