Asif Jalali bailed in hate speech case

LAHORE : The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) chief Dr Asif Ashraf Jalali in a case of alleged hate speech and objectionable remarks against religious personalities.

Samanabad police had registered the first information report (FIR) on June 18 under Sections 295-A (acts intended to outrage religious feeling), 298-A (use of derogatory remarks in respect of holy personages) of PPC and 13/16 of MPO.

A counsel on behalf of Mr Jalali argued before the court that the case was registered maliciously on political grounds. He said the suspect had not committed the offences cited in the FIR. He requested the court to release the petitioner on bail, saying police had completed their investigation.

The investigating officer presented the case record before the court, saying the suspect was nominated in the FIR and a specific role had been attributed to him. He said the electronic record of the alleged hate speech presented was enough to prove the offence committed by the suspect. He said there was a possibility that the suspect would misuse the relief of the bail. A sessions court had already denied bail to Jalali.