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LAHORE: In a case pertaining to blasphemy, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday held that the “mere creation or administration of a WhatsApp group does not, by itself, make the creator or administrator criminally liable for every post made by its members”.
The court issued the directives while denying post-arrest bail to a man accused of uploading and sharing blasphemous content through WhatsApp groups.
Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh passed a detailed judgment on Thursday, dismissing the bail petition filed by a man booked by the Federal Investigation Agency’s now defunct Cyber Crime Wing. The case was registered on April 5, 2024 under sections 295-A, 295-B, 295-C, 298-A (blasphemy offences) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).
According to the prosecution, the petitioner was added to two WhatsApp groups where he allegedly noticed blasphemous and sacrilegious posts being shared by members. He took screenshots of some posts and approached the FIA, which initiated an inquiry.
