Minority teacher awarded life imprisonment over blasphemy

KARACHI: An Additional and District Sessions Court, Sukkur, has awarded life imprisonment and imposed Rs50,000 fine on a person in a blasphemy case after he was convicted guilty.

Reports said the case under Section 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) was registered by A-Section Police Station Ghotki on a complaint by Abdul Aziz Rajput, the father of Ehtesham, a student of class 11 of a school owned by a Hindu teacher.

According to the complaint, the teacher on September 16, 2019, entered a class where the students, including Ehtesham, were studying Islamiyat and allegedly made some blasphemous remarks when he was informed of the subject being taught. Ehtesham complained about the incident to his father Aziz Rajput, who later approached the concerned police station to register a case against the teacher under blasphemy charges.

Following the incident, an angry mob attacked the properties of Hindu community, temples in Ghotki, including ransacking of the same school where the alleged culprit was teaching. The teacher was taken into custody and was shifted to an undisclosed location to protect his life, then jailed, where his trial was completed before the Fifth Additional District and Sessions Judge, Sukkur.

The court convicted the teacher under Section 265-H (ii) of Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) for the offence punishable under Section 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and sentenced with rigorous imprisonment and imposed to pay a fine of Rs50,000. In case, if he would not be able to pay, he would have to serve seven more years.