Court sentences man to life imprisonment for desecrating Quran in Karachi

A district and sessions court in Karachi has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for desecrating the Holy Quran.

The ruling, delivered on Thursday by Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahid Ali Memon, marks a significant legal outcome following the successful prosecution of the accused, Ali Haider.

The incident that led to this conviction occurred on June 4, 2021, in the city's Zia Colony. Haider was apprehended while in the act of desecrating the holy book shortly after Fajr prayers. The arrest was made by local authorities, and a case was promptly registered against him at the Korangi Police Station.

The prosecution presented compelling evidence in court, leading to Haider's conviction under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code.

This section of the law stipulates severe penalties for acts of desecration, stating: "Whoever wilfully defiles, damages or desecrates a copy of the Holy Qur’an or of an extract therefrom or uses it in any derogatory manner or for any unlawful purpose shall be punishable with imprisonment for life."

This case underscores the gravity with which Pakistan's legal system treats offenses related to religious sanctity. Under national legislation, insulting the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) can carry the death penalty, while the desecration of the Quran is punishable by life imprisonment.

The conviction comes in the broader context of religious tensions in Pakistan, where allegations of blasphemy can incite significant public unrest. 

In June of the previous year, a mob in the Madyan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat district lynched a man over similar allegations of Quran desecration, resulting in injuries to eight people amidst the chaos.