Rejecting the bail plea of blasphemy accused Christian girl Rimsha, a Sessions court on Tuesday sought the medical board’s report on the next hearing to ascertain the age of the accused. The court fixed the next hearing for August 30.
Sessions Judge Raja Jawad Hassan Abbas resumed the hearing of the case, during which Rimsha’s counsel Tahir Naveed argued that since his client was a juvenile, her case be transferred to a Juvenile Court, and she be granted bail.
In his arguments, the lawyer argued that was 14 years old, and under Section 7 of the Juvenile Justice Ordinance, she was not an adult. He presented the findings of a medical board constituted by a district magistrate. He told the court that according to the findings of the medical board, Rimsha was 14.
After hearing the lawyer’s arguments, the judge told him that if his client was aging between 13 to 14 years, he should file a fresh application, requesting the court to order district magistrate for constituting a medical board to ascertain the age of the accused. The judge said that the previous medical board had been constituted by the order of the additional district magistrate, and not by the court.
Complying with the court’s instructions, the counsel filed a fresh application and stated that as per the petitioner’s birth certificate, which had been issued by the authority concerned, the age of Rimsha was 14 years. “It is necessary in the interest of justice, that a medical board be appointed to determine the age of the petitioner,” the lawyer stated in his application.
The court accepted the application and directed the district magistrate to constitute a medical board and present its findings on the next date of hearing.
Rimsha, who is currently in jail, was arrested for allegedly burning pages of a Noorani Qaeda at Maira Jaffar G-12, Islamabad. On August 16, Ramna Police registered an FIR (First Information Report) against her under blasphemy law, Section 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code.
Strict security arrangements had been made at the district court on Tuesday to avoid any untoward incident. A large number of people were present in the court during the hearing.
Meanwhile, in an open letter, Rimsha’s father Misrek Masih appealed to President Asif Zardari to pardon his daughter and prevent other people from being persecuted under the harsh laws “like my daughter”.
Misrek said an angry crowd had threatened to “burn her alive.” “She has Down’s syndrome and often isn’t in control of her actions, but she is charged with desecrating the Quran, and we are afraid for her life.
”I’m asking President Asif Ali Zardari, who has already called for further attention into my daughter’s case, to pardon her and to prevent other people from being persecuted under these harsh laws like my daughter,” he said.
”We are a Christian family, we respect the religious rights of others. We simply wish for the safety of our daughter and our community and wish this had never happened,” he added.
Humanity sinks to new levels in this land of pure
The land of morons where dearth of common sense has reached an alarming level. Even God must be shaking his head with disgust.
kill alll cristians, hindus, shias, ahmadis, sikhs, parsis, your land will become pure.
i love this blasphemy law, i salute them who made this law.. No one wil b alowed to disrespect our holy book.. And christians should teach their chlidren how to respect our holy book.. This is not america,this is pakistan
Why are you behaving with such over acting? Only Islam is available to be humiliated and made fun of. and after doing so the criminal become very innocent in the eyes of a certain "broad minded" group. What is law is law. and who so ever is to live in Islamic Republic of Pakistan would have to follow its legislative. No need to pass senti comments for such acts. Always Islam is humiliated and then the offender becomes innocent and people like you start speaking sentimental comments. If Rimsha's father is so sorry then he would better have had teached tolarance to his brood. Now when she has shown "EXTEREMISM" then its not the time to pretend like a bobo. In the whole world "Exteremisim" is not absolved.
I am not certain if you understand the meaning of "down syndrome". I think you ought to have read about it before this diatribe
Typical Pakistani Judiciary and banana courts where terroists can be released but one innocent 11 year old can be put in prison ,I wonder how many normal muslims are thinking to quit religion.
And meanwhile this poor little girl is alone in Prison….have Muslims no sense of humanity? Shame on Pakistan and shame on the courts who are prolonging the suffering of this child….
islamic extremists making the blasphemy "accusation" against any minority should be considered suspect of false allegations and immediately scrutinized under investigation before any accused is arrested and jailed. False accusers should be sentanced to life imprisonmentThese false allegations consume police time, incite riots and murders. These extremists are what is giving the entire world the picture of islam going totally insane. Muslims STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH, dont remain silent, dont go along out of fear. Your reputation can be redeemed but only after these barbaric atrosities are condemmed by the islamics of sanity
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