KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court quashed on Friday a case lodged against Geo TV for broadcasting a programme whose contents were deemed sacrilegious.<\/p>\n
The management of the TV channel, the host of the programme and some others were booked on charges of airing the objectionable contents in a morning show in May.<\/p>\n
On the directive of a prosecutor, police submitted a report under Section 173 of the CrPC in C (cancel) class asking the court to quash the case. ATC-III Judge Saleem Raza Baloch cancelled the case after allowing the report.<\/p>\n
Police asked to consider cancelling case against Geo TV<\/p>\n
Earlier, Abdul Maroof, special public prosecutor of the ATC, had written a letter to the Mithadar police station SHO, stating that in his view basic elements of criminal liability were missing in the case because of the absence of mens rea [guilty mind].<\/p>\n
He argued that the offence caused to viewers was unintentional and since the lodging of a case in respect of broadcasting offences was barred under Section 34 of the Pemra Ordinance 2002, the case had become illegal.<\/p>\n
The case was lodged at the Mithadar police station under Sections 295-A [deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298-A [use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)] and 34 [common intention] of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 on the complaint of a lawyer following a court order.<\/p>\n