The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ruled that merely being a member or administrator of a WhatsApp group does not, by itself, constitute a criminal offence or create criminal liability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
in a significant judgement, the court clarified that legal responsibility for unlawful material shared in a WhatsApp group rests with the individual who uploads, forwards or disseminates the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ruling came in a cybercrime case investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) concerning the alleged circulation of blasphemous material on WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court dismissed the post-arrest bail application of the accused, Syed Abdul Mannan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the 13-page judgement, the court held that a person’s mere presence in a WhatsApp group or failure to respond to content shared within it is insufficient to establish criminal responsibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judgement stated that criminal liability must be linked to the individual who actively uploads, forwards or shares the offending material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The verdict was delivered by Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, who observed that the available evidence, including a technical analysis report, appeared prima facie reliable at this stage of the proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While rejecting the bail plea, the court directed the trial court to expedite the proceedings and ensure the case is concluded at the earliest opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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