SC grants bail to Christian sanitary worker accused of blasphemy

• SC approves bail of blasphemy accused.
• Accused sanitary worker was on trial since April 2021.
• Bail application of accused approved on surety bond of Rs50,000/.

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday accepted the bail application of a Christian sanitary worker who was accused of blasphemy and was on trial since April 2021, The News reported.

A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the bail application filed by a blasphemy accused. The court, after hearing the arguments from both sides, accepted the bail application of the accused on a surety bond of Rs50,000/.

During the course of the hearing, Justice Qazi Faez Isa observed that the state should deal with cases related to blasphemy in a responsible manner. He further observed that it was necessary to ensure protection for the accused as well as for the sacred personalities in blasphemy matters until the case was proved.

"Blasphemy is not an ordinary offence and its punishment is death after the case is proved but here every other person levels allegation of blasphemy against the other" Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked.

The Judge observed that an incident occurred in a park but not a single person, including a guard, was made as a witness of the incident. Why was Pakistan created? Justice Isa asked the counsel for the state.

The counsel replied that, as per the Father of the Nation, Pakistan was an experiment of Islam. "When did Quaid –e-Azam said something like this", Justice Isa asked the counsel, adding that in fact Quaid-e-Azam had said that people of every religion were free to go to their worship places.

A division has already been made in society in the name of religion, hence avoid making further", Justice Qazi Faez Isa told the state counsel, adding that East Pakistan was separated, therefore don’t try to break this country further. The judge further observed that we have never heard that a Christian has filed a case of blasphemy against a Muslim. On a court query, the counsel for the accused informed that his client was a sweeper (Khakroab) for the Lahore Waste Management Company.

At this Justice Qazi Faez Isa observed that sometimes he thinks as to why Muslims are not working as Khakroab (janitors), as he said that cleanliness was half the faith, adding that cleanliness was half the faith, there is Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) but we don’t follow it. "We should be thankful to the Masih community for doing jobs of cleanliness", Justice Isa remarked.

According to the case, some four students in Model Town Park had levelled allegations of blasphemy against the accused, and a case was registered against him in Model Town Police Station, Lahore. He had been behind bars since January 4, 2021.